definitions

sixteenth

[ siks-teenth ]
/ ˈsɪksˈtinθ /
|

adjective

next after the fifteenth; being the ordinal number for 16.
being one of 16 equal parts.

noun

a sixteenth part, especially of one (1/16).
the sixteenth member of a series.
Music. sixteenth note.

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Nearby words

sixpenny, sixte, sixteen, sixteenmo, sixteenpenny, sixteenth, sixteenth amendment, sixteenth note, sixteenth rest, sixth, sixth amendment

Origin of sixteenth

before 900; Middle English sixtenthe (see sixteen, -th2); replacing Middle English sixtenthe, sixtethe, Old English sixtēotha (see tithe)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sixteenth

British Dictionary definitions for sixteenth

sixteenth

/ (ˈsɪksˈtiːnθ) /

adjective

(usually prenominal)
  1. coming after the fifteenth in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of sixteen: often written 16th
  2. (as noun)the sixteenth of the month

noun

  1. one of 16 equal or nearly equal parts of something
  2. (as modifier)a sixteenth part
the fraction that is equal to one divided by 16 (1/16)
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 sixteenth

sixteenth

adj.

early 13c., from sixteen + -th (1); replacing sixtethe, sixteothe, forms based on Old English syxteoða. Cf Old Frisian sextinda, Middle Dutch sestiende, German sechzehnte, Old Norse sextandi. Musical sixteenth note is from 1861.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper