nine English · revision 2717

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 840|origins=ine-pro *h₁néwn̥}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /naɪn/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|nyne]], nihene,^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|nigon]], nigen,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*newun]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[ine-pro|*h₁néwn̥|alt=*newn|t=nine]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) It is cognate with Old Frisian nigun, Old Saxon nigun, Dutch negen, German neun, Old Norse níu and Gothic niun,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and outside Germanic with [[la|novem]], with m by analogy with septem and decem,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Greek ennéa, Old Irish nōi, Lithuanian devyni, Old Church Slavonic devętĭ and Sanskrit náva.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English, about 840.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) All the main number words go back to the most ancient times.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As a symbol for the number it is from the late 14th century.^(Etymonline) ''Nine days'' was proverbial from the mid-14th century for the time a novelty holds attention, and ''a nine days' wonder'' is from the 1590s.^(Etymonline) The nine lives of a cat are from the 17th century,^(Etymonline) and ''the Nine'', the Muses, from about 1600.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) ''Dressed up to the nines'' dates from the early 18th century, first meaning “to perfection”;^(Cresswell 2021) by the mid-19th century it was tied to smart dress.^(Cresswell 2021) The theory that it comes from the smartly dressed 99th Wiltshire Regiment is unlikely, since their reputation dates only from the 1850s.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Nine-to-five'', the average working day, is from 1935.^(Etymonline) ''Ninth'' was a new formation in the 12th century, replacing Old English nigoða.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 840 – Old English nigon.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * mid-14th century – ''nine days'', a short wonder.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – the symbol.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1600 – ''the Nine'', the Muses.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * early 18th century – ''to the nines''.^(Cresswell 2021)

+ * 1935 – ''nine-to-five''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Numeral===

+ # The number one more than eight; 9.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The figure 9; a set of nine people or things, such as a [[baseball]] team.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A [[playing card]] with nine [[pip|alt=pips]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ninebark]]

+ * [[ninepence]]

+ * [[ninepenny]]

+ * [[ninepin]]

+ * [[nineteen]]

+ * [[stanine]]

+ * [[cat-o'-nine-tails]]

+ * [[eighty-nine]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ninth]]

+ * [[ninety]]

+ * [[ninepins]]

+ * [[novena]]

+ * [[November]]

+ * [[nonagenarian]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}