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English word origin

Etymology of nth

From n + -th (ordinal suffix).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
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

Occurring at position n in a sequence. · Occurring at a relatively large but unspecified position in a series.

noun

The item at position n in a sequence. · The item in a relatively large but unspecified position in a series.

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

From n + -th (ordinal suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "n",
        "4": "-th<pos:ordinal suffix><id:ordinal>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From n + -th (ordinal suffix)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "n",
        "4": "-th<pos:ordinal suffix><id:ordinal>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From n + -th (ordinal suffix)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "n",
      "n#English"
    ],
    [
      "-th",
      "-th#English:_ordinal"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Occurring at position n in a sequence.",
        "Occurring at a relatively large but unspecified position in a series."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b2ac6737964e1d429509868470e9020e996af06ee57d705afa916ba66cc36eab",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f2c9b2414e2da81fd1be1bec3ccd043113b37b8e0e457de984b34d179ba4a03e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 295507
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The item at position n in a sequence.",
        "The item in a relatively large but unspecified position in a series."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b655c383e95d9ddd37b178e3738ae4a365bd995caee1576f8fb00dc8f848fb48",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ad39cde369e5e35a72168fba83751f8fc53ae1d0e9853a3d79209985551bd467",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 295508
    }
  ],
  "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 nth →

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-bnRo