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tenth

Etymology and origin of the English word tenth

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
mid-12th century
From
Middle English tenthe

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tenθ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English tenthe, formed from ten and -th,[2][3] replacing Old English tēoþa, which survives in tithe.[2][3] Similar older formations are Old Saxon tehando, Old Frisian tegotha, Dutch tiende, Old High German zehanto and German zehnte.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Next after the ninth: the mid-12th century or late Old English, as tenðe.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The same shift happened with seventh and ninth, which replaced older forms.[2] As a noun, a tenth part, it is from about 1200,[2] and the tenth day of a month by the 1570s.[2] The tenth wave was once held to be larger than the nine before it (1585).[4] A verb tenth, to decimate or tithe, is from 1598.[4]

Timeline

  • mid-12th century – tenðe.[2]
  • c. 1200 – a tenth part.[2]
  • 1570s – the tenth of a month.[2]
  • 1585 – the tenth wave.[4]
  • 1598 – to tenth, decimate.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Coming next after the ninth; the ordinal number of ten.

Noun

  1. One of ten equal parts of something.
  2. The tenth in a series.

Word family

  • tenthly
  • tenth-rate

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Tenth.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tenth. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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