seventy-nine
UK[ˈsevnti naɪn]US[ˈsevnti naɪn]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of seven and nine; one more than seventy-eight, or thirty-one less than one hundred; 79.
Morpheme Breakdown
seventy
nine
seventy
cardinal tens
nine
cardinal unit
Etymology
the word "seventy-nine" is a transparent compound within the english numeral system, directly combining the tens-marker "seventy" with the unit "nine". the component "seventy" itself derives from the old english 'seofontig', meaning "seven tens", where the suffix '-tig' denoted a decade. "nine" descends from the proto-germanic 'newun', a cardinal number with deep proto-indo-european roots. the modern compound follows a logical, additive structure common to germanic languages, where the value of the whole is the sum of its explicitly stated parts: seven tens plus nine units.
Analysis
Structure: seventy (cardinal tens) + nine (cardinal unit)
seventy originates from old english 'seofontig', a compound of 'seofon' (seven) and '-tig' (group of ten), of germanic origin. nine originates from old english 'nigon', of germanic origin, related to dutch 'negen' and german 'neun'.
Examples
he scored seventy-nine points in the game.
the recipe requires seventy-nine grams of flour.
my grandmother is seventy-nine years old.