nine (English)
Where does "nine" come from?
The English word 'nine' traces its roots back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European term *h₁néwn̥. It evolved through Proto-Germanic and Proto-West Germanic as *newun before becoming 'nigon' in Old English. This resilient numerical label persists in various forms across many modern languages, including German, Dutch, and Swedish, all descending from the same ancient lineage.
Full etymology tree
- nine (English), 'A numerical value equal to 9; the number following eight and preceding ten.'
- inherited nyne (Middle English), 'nine'
- inherited nigon (Old English), 'nine'
- inherited *nigun (Proto-West Germanic)
- contraction *neun (Proto-West Germanic), 'nine'
- inherited *newun (Proto-Germanic), 'nine'
- inherited *newunt (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *h₁néwn̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'nine'
- influence *néwos (Proto-Indo-European), 'new'
- influence *h₁enu- (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence *h₁new (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence *tehun (Proto-Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited *h₁néwn̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'nine'
- inherited *newunt (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *newun (Proto-Germanic), 'nine'
- contraction *neun (Proto-West Germanic), 'nine'
- inherited *nigun (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited nigon (Old English), 'nine'
- inherited nyne (Middle English), 'nine'
Direct ancestors
- nyne (Middle English)
- nigon (Old English)
- neun (Proto-West Germanic)
- newun (Proto-Germanic)
- h₁néwn̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
- neen (Scots)
- njúgen (Saterland Frisian)
- njoggen (West Frisian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris