ten (Scots)
Where does "ten" come from?
The Scots word 'ten' is an inherited term[1] tracing back through Middle English 'ten'[1] and Old English 'tīen'[1]. Going further back, it descends from Proto-West Germanic '*tehun' and Proto-Germanic '*tehun'[1], which ultimately find their roots in the Proto-Indo-European '*déḱm̥'[1].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European form '*déḱm̥' has an unknown origin, with a possible connection to '*ḱm̥t-' derived from '*ḱómt' meaning 'hand'. [4]
- Proto-Germanic '*tehun' may alternatively derive from an earlier form '*tehunt' originating from Proto-Indo-European '*déḱm̥t'. [5]
Full etymology tree
- ten (Scots), 'ten'
- inherited ten (Middle English), 'ten'
- inherited tien (Old English), 'ten'
- inherited *tehun (Proto-West Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited *tehun (Proto-Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
- derived *ḱm̥t- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ḱómt (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ḱómt (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ḱm̥t- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
- inherited *tehun (Proto-Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited *tehun (Proto-West Germanic), 'ten'
- inherited tien (Old English), 'ten'
- inherited ten (Middle English), 'ten'
Ancestors
- ten (Middle English)
- tien (Old English)
- *tehun (Proto-West Germanic)
- *tehun (Proto-Germanic)
- *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
Sources
- ten (Scots) - Wiktionary
- ten (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- tien (Old English) - Wiktionary
- déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- tehun (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
- tehun (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris