tredecim

Forms

trēdecim (indeclinable)^[1] Tresdecim occurs in Frontinus,^[2] and an inscription has tredecem.^[3]

Etymology

It is a compound from Latin trēs (“three”) + decem (“ten”).^[4][1] The ending ⟨-decim⟩ of the numbers from eleven to nineteen is not well explained: de Vaan rejects a metathesis of ⟨-dicem⟩ as very unlikely and takes it to have ⟨-dec-⟩ from decem and ⟨-im⟩ on the model of the ordinals in ⟨-decimus⟩.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Livy,^[5] who counts thirteen captured ships.^[2][6] Earlier, Cicero said tres et decem or decem et tres.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Besides tredecim, Latin used the phrases decem et tres, decem tres and tres et decem.^[3][2] Frontinus has the spelling tresdecim,^[2] and an inscription has the colloquial tredecem.^[3]

Medieval Latin kept it, as in Bede,^[7] and it continues in Italian tredici.^[6]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses tredecim.^[5][2][8]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus writes centum tredecim, a hundred and thirteen.^[2][6]
• early 8th century AD – Bede uses it in his commentary on Samuel.^[7][8]

Meanings

Numeral

1. thirteen.^[4][2]

Related words

• trēs
• decem

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
4. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de