thirty-seventh

thirty-seventh

UK[ˈθɜːti ˈsevənθ]US[ˈθɜːrti ˈsevənθ]
adj

constituting number thirty-seven in a sequence; 37th.

n

the person or thing that is number thirty-seven in a sequence.

n

one of thirty-seven equal parts of something.

Morpheme Breakdown

thirty
seventh
thirty

number

seventh

ordinal

Etymology

the word "thirty-seventh" is a modern english compound formed by combining the cardinal number "thirty" with the ordinal number "seventh". the cardinal "thirty" originates from old english þrītiġ, a germanic formation meaning "three tens". the ordinal suffix "-th", used in "seventh", derives from proto-germanic -dô, -tô, a common suffix for forming ordinal numbers. the logic of the compound is purely arithmetic, designating the position following the thirty-sixth item. this transparent compounding method is characteristic of english for forming ordinal numbers beyond the basic set.

Analysis

Structure: thirty (number) + seventh (ordinal) thirty: from old english þrītiġ, meaning "thirty". a germanic cardinal number. seventh: from old english seofoþa, meaning "7th". the ordinal form of the cardinal number seven, with the suffix -th denoting ordinal number.

Examples

she celebrated her thirty-seventh birthday with a quiet dinner.

this is the thirty-seventh edition of the annual conference.

approximately a thirty-seventh of the population participated in the survey.