English
tenfold
Tenfold comes from Old English tīen ‘ten’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tehun‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tehun‘ten’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tīen‘ten’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150tīenfeald
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tenfold
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1749tenfold
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tehun‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tehun‘ten’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tīen‘ten’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150tīenfeald
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tenfold
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1749tenfold
Earliest quotation: a. 1749, James Thomson, Winter: “[F]ull of death, and fierce vvith tenfold froſt, /…”
Formed from ten + -fold
Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥
Proto-Germanic *tehun
Proto-West Germanic *tehun
Old English tīen
Middle English ten
English ten
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’
century, hundred, dick, cent, decade, dean, dozen, den, sen, diner, decimal, hectare, denier, deca, dwt, doyen, deni, 51 more
through Old English tīen ‘ten’
Today it means
adj Ten times as much or as many.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ / tenfold