English
nine
Nine comes from Middle English nyn, from Old English nigon, from Proto-Germanic *newun, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁néwn̥1‘nine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*newun1‘nine’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*neun1reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nigon1‘nine’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nyn1
- Englishearliest quotation 1877nine1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English nine
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1877, Chicago Times, July 8: “The St. Louis club is the only nine in…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁néwn̥Wiktionary, English nine‘nine’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*newunWiktionary, English nine‘nine’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*neunWiktionary, English ninereconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nigonWiktionary, English nine‘nine’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nynWiktionary, English nine
- Englishearliest quotation 1877nineWiktionary, English nine. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1877, Chicago Times, July 8: “The St. Louis club is the only nine in…”
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with nine, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥
11 more relatives in the full family tree
No ads, ever.
Explore everything descended from *h₁néwn̥ →
No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.
Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app
Today it means
num A numerical value equal to 9; the number following eight and preceding ten.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “nine”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ / nine