nine

[nahyn]

noun

1. a cardinal number, eight plus one.

2. a symbol for this number, as 9 or IX.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. a baseball team.

5. a playing card with nine pips.

6. the Nine, the Muses.

adjective

1. amounting to nine in number.

nine

/ naɪn /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and eight See also number

2. a numeral, 9, IX, etc, representing this number

3. something representing, represented by, or consisting of nine units, such as a playing card with nine symbols on it

4. Also: nine o'clock. nine hours after noon or midnight

   the play starts at nine

5. informal,  elaborately dressed

6. (in Britain) the telephone number of the emergency services

7. normal office hours

   he works nine to five

   a nine-to-five job

determiner

1. 1. amounting to nine

      nine days

   2. ( as pronoun )

      nine of the ten are ready

Word History and Origins

Origin of nine¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English nigan, nigon, cognate with Dutch negen, akin to German neun, Old Norse nīu, Gothic niun, Latin novem, Greek ennéa, Sanskrit náva

Word History and Origins

Origin of nine¹

Old English nigon; related to Gothic niun, Latin novem

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. dressed to the nines, looking one's best; dressed smartly, splendidly, etc..

   All the girls were dressed to the nines for the party.

see dressed to kill (to the nines); on cloud nine; possession is nine points of the law; whole nine yards.

Example Sentences

Pollock, showing off a shock of peroxide blond hair for the first time on the Test stage, took nine minutes to accessorise his new look with a try.

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In the end, he reached base nine consecutive times.

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His turnovers ticked upward — he had nine alone in the victory over the Bruins — and his defense slipped from where it had been in high school.

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If Californians vote in favor of the measure on Tuesday, the number of Republicans in the state’s House — nine of 52 total members — would likely be reduced by five.

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They will likely need to finish in the top nine to secure direct entry to the 2027 World Cup.

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