thirteen

• Arabic numerals: 13
• Roman numerals: XIII

From Middle English thirttene, variant (through metathesis) of thrittene, from Old English þrēotīene, from Proto-Germanic *þritehun, compound of *þrīz (“three”) + *tehun (“teen”). Cognate with West Frisian trettjin, Dutch dertien, German dreizehn, Danish tretten. Equivalent to three +‎ -teen.

• (in most cases)

  (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/

  (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌθɝtˈtin/, /ˌθɝtin/

• (next word stressed near the first syllable)

  (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈθɜː.tiːn/

  (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈθɝt.tin/, /ˈθɝ.tin/

  Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːn

thirteen

1. The cardinal number occurring after twelve and before fourteen, represented in Roman numerals as XIII and in Arabic numerals as 13.

   There are thirteen cards of each of the four suits in a deck of playing cards.

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎^[1]:

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

   • 1890 February 28, W. S. Wetmore, “RECOLLECTIONS OF LIFE IN CHINA IN THE FIFTIES.”, in North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette‎^[2], volume XLIV, number 1178, Shanghai, →OCLC, page 256, column 1:

     In the spring of 1857, I, with several friends, left Hongkong for Shanghai, viâ Foochow, in the small coasting steamer Antelope. No noteworthy incident occurred until after leaving Foochow when, as we were enjoying our after dinner coffee and cigars, and by chance discussing the question of thirteen sitting down at table that had occurred at a dinner at which one of the party had shortly before been present, a violent thump and tremulous motion of the vessel announced the unpleasant fact that we had struck upon something. We rushed on deck and found the steamer hard and fast on a reef near Matsu Island. Fortunately the day was fine and there was no sea on.

   • 2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014‎^[3], Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 42:

     In the summer of 2014, at least thirteen BTGs and elements of five SPETSNAZ units were poised on the Ukrainian border.³⁶

• baker’s dozen
• long dozen
• throtteen (dialect)

• Previous: twelve. Next: fourteen

• Ordinal: thirteenth
• triskaidekaphobia

• tetherin

Inherited from Middle Scots thretten, from Middle English thrittene, from Old English þrēotīene, þrēotēne, from Proto-Germanic *þritehun.

thirteen

1. thirteen

• “thirteen, num. adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 12 June 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.