sixteen

[ siks-teen ]

/ ˈsɪksˈtin /

noun

a cardinal number, ten plus six.

a symbol for this number, as 16 or XVI.

a set of this many persons or things.

adjective

amounting to 16 in number.

Origin of sixteen

before 900; Middle English, Old English sixtēne; cognate with Dutch zestien, German sechzehn, Old Norse sextān. See six, -teen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sixteen

At the age of sixteen these bad guys chase you, often under the amused and complicit watch of policemen.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s|Alain Mabanckou|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My birth certificate was modified, I changed my name, and when I was sixteen I emancipated from my grandparents and my father.
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All|Aurora Snow|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sixteen years later, his former best friend finally confronts him.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Nov 10-16, 2014|William Boot|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sixteen have cleared the Judiciary Committee, 13 with unanimous support from members of both parties.
What If the United States Had No Attorney General?|Eleanor Clift|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sixteen seasons in, The Biggest Loser continues to be a ratings winner.
‘The Biggest Loser’ Could Be TV’s Most Important Show Ever|Daniela Drake|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Religion, say these, was corrupted a little after His death, and remained in that state of corruption about sixteen hundred years.
Letters on England|Voltaire
Yes, and much good he'll do the King's service; he'll eat for six and run for sixteen.
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc|Mark Twain
At sixteen, then, the boy did not know for what he was best fitted in life.
Famous Men of Science|Sarah K. Bolton
Juan Fernandez is about sixteen miles long and five and a half miles wide.
Harper's Young People, July 13, 1880|Various
At zero minus sixteen hours Rick stood at the base of the huge rocket and looked up, studying every inch of it.
The Scarlet Lake Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for sixteen

sixteen

/ (ˈsɪksˈtiːn) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and sixSee also number (def. 1)

a numeral, 16, XVI, etc, representing this number

music the numeral 16 used as the lower figure of a time signature to indicate that the beat is measured in semiquavers

something represented by, representing, or consisting of 16 units

determiner

amounting to sixteensixteen tons
(as pronoun)sixteen are known to the police

Word Origin for sixteen

Old English sextyne

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sixteen

sixteen

Old English sixtyne, from siex (see six) + -teen. Cf. Old Frisian sextine, Middle Dutch sestien, Dutch zestien, German sechszehn, Old Norse sextan.

The age of the gods is always sixteen. Sixteen represents the number of perfection, of plenitude. In man it is after the sixteenth year that the first elements of decay begin to appear, and when the moon reaches the sixteenth digit it begins to decrease. [Alain Daniélou, "The Myths and Gods of India"]

From Latin contracted form sexdecim, sedecim come Italian sedici, French seize.