ninety-one
UK[ˈnaɪnti wʌn]US[ˈnaɪnti wʌn]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of nine and ten; one more than eighty-nine; 90.
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of nine and ten plus one; one more than ninety; 91.
Morpheme Breakdown
ninety
one
ninety
one
Etymology
the word 'ninety-one' is a transparent compound formed within the english numeral system. its first element, 'ninety', descends from old english 'nigontig', a contraction of 'nigon' (nine) and '-tig' (a group of ten), a common germanic suffix for decades. the second element, 'one', originates from old english 'ān', a fundamental numeral with proto-germanic and proto-indo-european roots. the compound's logic is purely arithmetic, literally signifying "nine tens plus one," a straightforward method for constructing higher numbers that has been stable in english for centuries.
Analysis
Structure: ninety + one
ninety (old english, from 'nigontig', meaning nine tens); one (old english, from 'ān', meaning a single unit or thing).
Examples
she lived to be ninety-one years old.
the final score was ninety-one to eighty-seven.
turn to page ninety-one in your textbook.