six-thirty
UK[ˌsɪks ˈθɜːti]US[ˌsɪks ˈθɜːrti]
n
The time thirty minutes past six o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.
Morpheme Breakdown
six
thirty
six
number
thirty
number
Etymology
The compound 'six-thirty' is a modern English formation following the standard pattern for telling time, combining two cardinal numbers. The first element, 'six', originates from the Proto-Indo-European root s(w)eḱs, which gave rise to the number across many Indo-European languages, including Latin 'sex' and Greek 'hex', before evolving into Old English 'siex'. The second element, 'thirty', derives from the Old English 'þrītig', meaning "three tens," built from the root for 'three' (from PIE trei-) and a suffix denoting a decade. The fusion of these two ancient numerical concepts into a single time-telling phrase illustrates the analytical nature of English, where transparent compounding creates precise, everyday terminology from its oldest lexical building blocks.
Analysis
Structure: six (number) + thirty (number)
- six: From Old English 'siex', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'zes' and German 'sechs', from an Indo-European root shared by Latin 'sex' and Greek 'hex'. Functions as the cardinal number 6.
- thirty: From Old English 'þrītig' (from 'þrīe' 'three' and '-tig' group of ten), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'dertig' and German 'dreissig'. Functions as the cardinal number 30.
Examples
The morning meeting is scheduled for six-thirty.
We usually have dinner around six-thirty.
Please set your alarm for six-thirty tomorrow.