twenty-three
Meaning
The number equivalent to the product of three and ten; one more than twenty-two; 23.
Amounting to twenty-three.
Structure
Usage
She scored twenty-three points in the basketball game.
The class has twenty-three students enrolled this semester.
Page twenty-three contains the key diagram for the experiment.
Etymology
The compound 'twenty-three' is a transparent numerical construction in English, directly combining the base-ten system term for 'twenty' with the cardinal number 'three'. 'Twenty' itself originates from the Old English 'twēntig', meaning "two tens", a concept rooted in the Germanic decimal counting system. 'Three' descends from the Proto-Indo-European root trei-, a fundamental numeral that has remained remarkably stable across Indo-European languages. The logic of the modern word is purely arithmetic, literally denoting the sum of twenty and three, showcasing the analytic nature of English number formation beyond twenty.
Analysis
twenty: From Old English twēntig, meaning "group of twenty", from twēn- (variant of twegen, "two") + -tig (group of ten). Germanic origin. three: From Old English þrīe, "three". Proto-Indo-European origin.