English
seventh
Seventh comes from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ ‘seven’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*septḿ̥‘seven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*septm̥mósreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sebundôreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sebundōreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150seofoþa
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500seventhe
- Englishearliest quotation 1644seventh
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*septḿ̥‘seven’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*septm̥mósreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sebundôreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sebundōreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150seofoþa
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500seventhe
- Englishearliest quotation 1644seventh
Earliest quotation: 1644, Dudley Diggs: “Sozomenus who wrote above twelve hundred years agoe, in…”
Formed from seven + -th
Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥
Proto-Germanic *sebun
Proto-West Germanic *sebun
Old English seofon
Middle English seven
English seven
The story
The -n-, lost in northern Proto-West Germanic, was later reinserted by analogy with seven, equivalent to seven + -th.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ ‘seven’
Today it means
adj The ordinal form of the number seven.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ / seventh