thirteen
[ thur-teen ]
/ ˈθɜrˈtin /
|
noun
a cardinal number, 10 plus 3.
a symbol for this number, as 13 or XIII.
a set of this many persons or things.
adjective
amounting to 13 in number.
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Nearby words
- thirlage,
- thirlmere,
- thirst,
- thirst trap,
- thirsty,
- thirteen colonies,
- thirteen-lined ground squirrel,
- thirteenth,
- thirteenth amendment,
- thirteenth chord
Origin of thirteen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for thirteen
thirteen
/ (ˈθɜːˈtiːn) /
noun
the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and three and is a prime numberSee also number (def. 1)
a numeral, 13, XIII, etc, representing this number
the amount or quantity that is three more than ten; baker's dozen
something represented by, representing, or consisting of 13 units
determiner
- amounting to thirteenthirteen buses
- (as pronoun)thirteen of them fell
Word Origin for thirteen
Old English threotēne; see three, -teen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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thirteen
early 15c., metathesis of Old English þreotene (Mercian), þreotiene (West Saxon), from þreo "three" (see three) + -tene (see -teen). Cf. Old Frisian thretten, Dutch dertien, German dreizehn.
Not an unlucky number in medieval England, but associated rather with the customary "extra item" (e.g. baker's dozen). Superstitions began with association with the Last Supper, and the unluckiness of 13 sitting down together to dine (attested from 1690s). Most of the modern superstitions (buildings with floor "12-A," etc.) have developed since 1890.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper