*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of seven

PIE word *septḿ̥ From Middle English seven, from Old English seofon (“seven”), from Proto-West Germanic *sebun (“seven”), from Proto-Germanic *sebun (“seven”), from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ (“seven”). Cognate with Sco

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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 ↗
noun

The digit/figure 7 or an occurrence thereof. · A card bearing seven pips. · The soft drink 7 Up.

num

A numerical value equal to 7; the number following six and preceding eight. · Describing a group or set with seven elements.

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

PIE word *septḿ̥ From Middle English seven, from Old English seofon (“seven”), from Proto-West Germanic *sebun (“seven”), from Proto-Germanic *sebun (“seven”), from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ (“seven”). Cognate with Scots seiven (“seven”), West Frisian sân (“seven”), Saterland Frisian soogen (“seven”), Low German söven (“seven”), Dutch zeven (“seven”), German sieben (“seven”), Danish syv (“seven”), Norwegian sju (“seven”), Icelandic sjö (“seven”), Latin septem (“seven”), Ancient Greek ἑπτά (heptá, “seven”), Russian семь (semʹ), Sanskrit सप्त (saptá).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
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      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "name": "langname",
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      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
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      },
      "expansion": "Middle English seven"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "seofon",
        "4": "",
        "5": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English seofon (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*sebun",
        "4": "",
        "5": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *sebun (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "3": "*sebun",
        "4": "",
        "5": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *sebun (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "3": "*septḿ̥",
        "4": "",
        "5": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "seiven",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots seiven (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "sân",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian sân (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "soogen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian soogen (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "söven",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German söven (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zeven",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zeven (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "sieben",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "German sieben (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "syv",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish syv (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "sju",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian sju (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "sjö",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic sjö (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "septem",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin septem (“seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ἑπτά",
        "3": "",
        "4": "seven"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἑπτά (heptá, “seven”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "семь"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian семь (semʹ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "सप्त",
        "tr": "saptá"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit सप्त (saptá)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*septḿ̥",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/septḿ̥"
    ],
    [
      "seven",
      "seven#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "seofon",
      "seofon#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sebun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sebun"
    ],
    [
      "*sebun",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/sebun"
    ],
    [
      "*septḿ̥",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/septḿ̥"
    ],
    [
      "seiven",
      "seiven#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "sân",
      "sân#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "soogen",
      "soogen#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "söven",
      "söven#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "zeven",
      "zeven#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "sieben",
      "sieben#German"
    ],
    [
      "syv",
      "syv#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "sju",
      "sju#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "sjö",
      "sjö#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "septem",
      "septem#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ἑπτά",
      "ἑπτά#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "семь",
      "семь#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "सप्त",
      "सप्त#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The digit/figure 7 or an occurrence thereof.",
        "A card bearing seven pips.",
        "The soft drink 7 Up."
      ],
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    {
      "pos": "num",
      "glosses": [
        "A numerical value equal to 7; the number following six and preceding eight.",
        "Describing a group or set with seven elements."
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

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 seven →

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-c2V2ZW4