*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -teen

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ Proto-Germanic *tehun Proto-West Germanic *tehunder. Anglian Old English -tēne Middle English -tene English -teen From Middle English -tene, from Anglian Old English -tēne (compa

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Used to form cardinal numbers from thirteen to nineteen.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ Proto-Germanic *tehun Proto-West Germanic *tehunder. Anglian Old English -tēne Middle English -tene English -teen From Middle English -tene, from Anglian Old English -tēne (compare West Saxon -tīene), from an inflected form of Proto-West Germanic *tehun, from Proto-Germanic *tehun (“ten”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention-teneenm
  • Derivation mention*tehungmw-pro
  • Derivation mention*tehungem-pro · ten
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-tene",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *déḱm̥\nProto-Germanic *tehun\nProto-West Germanic *tehunder.\nAnglian Old English -tēne\nMiddle English -tene\nEnglish -teen\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"ten\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*déḱm̥\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*tehun\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*tehun\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Anglian Old English\", \"term\" : \"-tiene\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang-ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-tene\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-teen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-teen\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-tene"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -tene"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang-ang",
        "3": "-tēne"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglian Old English -tēne"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*tehun"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *tehun"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tehun",
        "t": "ten"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tehun (“ten”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:-tene",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *déḱm̥\nProto-Germanic *tehun\nProto-West Germanic *tehunder.\nAnglian Old English -tēne\nMiddle English -tene\nEnglish -teen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*déḱm̥",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/déḱm̥#Proto-Indo-European:_ten"
    ],
    [
      "*tehun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tehun"
    ],
    [
      "*tehun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tehun"
    ],
    [
      "-tēne",
      "-tiene#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-tene",
      "-tene#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-tene",
      "-tene#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-tēne",
      "-tene#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-tīene",
      "-tiene#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*tehun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tehun"
    ],
    [
      "*tehun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tehun"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form cardinal numbers from thirteen to nineteen."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "353b618d456b6f46d11caa037248625734192ee1ac312803e51363a1ab886102",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2e455f86d7cbe1bdfe8c53e60323046fb2e20fa8ddff747c03edfe9a0b6d322f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1575589
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -teen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXRlZW4