*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ninth

From Middle English nynthe, nynte, from Old English niġoþa, from Proto-Germanic *newundô; the -n- was reinserted by analogy with nine. Equivalent to nine + -th (ordinal suffix).

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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 ↗
adj

The ordinal form of the number nine.

noun

The person or thing in the ninth position. · One of nine equal parts of a whole. · The compound interval between any tone and the tone represented on the ninth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and two of the octave above; the octave of the second, consisting of 13 or 14 semitones (called minor and major ninth).

verb

To lose a ninth. · To divide by nine.

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

From Middle English nynthe, nynte, from Old English niġoþa, from Proto-Germanic *newundô; the -n- was reinserted by analogy with nine. Equivalent to nine + -th (ordinal suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionnyntheenm
  • Inherited-form mentionniġoþaang
  • Inherited-form mention*newundôgem-pro
  • Word-formation componentnineen
  • Word-formation component-then
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nynthe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English nynthe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "niġoþa"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English niġoþa"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*newundô"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *newundô"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nine",
        "3": "-th",
        "id2": "ordinal",
        "pos2": "ordinal suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "nine + -th (ordinal suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nynthe",
      "nynthe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nynte",
      "nynte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "niġoþa",
      "nigoþa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*newundô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/newundô"
    ],
    [
      "nine",
      "nine#English"
    ],
    [
      "nine",
      "nine#English"
    ],
    [
      "-th",
      "-th#English:_ordinal"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "The ordinal form of the number nine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 13904
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The person or thing in the ninth position.",
        "One of nine equal parts of a whole.",
        "The compound interval between any tone and the tone represented on the ninth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and two of the octave above; the octave of the second, consisting of 13 or 14 semitones (called minor and major ninth)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 13905
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To lose a ninth.",
        "To divide by nine."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ac1426f782ac0b1b08a25328ae45025113f446033eeeaeffe78a3e85e081475d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "56a87570f35f460b5c61801eb01afd80079921d4b3eb441363b5dee55914c9a1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 13906
    }
  ],
  "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 ninth →

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-bmludGg