seventh (English)

Where does "seventh" come from?

The word "seventh" traces its roots to the Proto-Germanic term *sebundô, evolving through Old English as "seofoþa" and Middle English as "seventhe." While the "n" was briefly lost in northern dialects, it was eventually reinserted by analogy with the number "seven." This ordinal form combines the ancient root of seven with the suffix "-th," a relic of a Proto-Indo-European marker used to denote a specific order or state.

Full etymology tree

seventh (English), 'The ordinal form of the number seven.'
- inherited seventhe (Middle English), 'seventh'
  - inherited seofoþa (Old English), 'seventh'
  - compound seven (Middle English), 'seven'
    - inherited seofon (Old English), 'seven'
      - inherited *sebun (Proto-West Germanic), 'seven'
        inherited *sebun (Proto-Germanic), 'seven'
        inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
  - compound -th (Middle English), 'Forms abstract nouns denoting a state or attribute, usually from adjectives but occasionally from verbs; -th, -ness'
    - inherited -þ (Old English), 'forming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or other nouns; generally causing mutation of root or preceding vowels'
      - inherited *-iþō (Proto-Germanic), '-ness, -th. Forms abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or other nouns.'
        inherited *-iteh₂ (Proto-Indo-European)

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris