English Explanatory Dictionary

twenty-three

English dictionary entry

Meanings

num
  1. The cardinal number immediately following twenty-two and preceding twenty-four; 23.
intj
  1. Get lost; get out: leave.

Pronunciation

/ˈtwɛntiˈθɹiː/ en-us-twenty-three.ogg

Word forms

twenty-three twenty three twenti-thre 23 XXIII

Etymology

From Middle English twenty-thre, twenti-thre, twenti-thrie, twenty-thrie, ultimately derived from Old English þrēo and twēntiġ (“twenty-three”, literally “three and twenty”); see also three-and-twenty. The reason for the numerical swap across the spellings for all English numbers is unknown, but it may have been influenced by the Old French system, i.e. see vint trois (literally “twenty three”). By surface analysis, twenty (“the cardinal number 20, occurring after nineteen and before twenty-one”) + three (“the cardinal number 3, occurring after two and before four”).

Synonyms

three-and-twenty

Related words

twenty-third twenty-two twenty-four thirty-two

Derived words

twenty-three enigma twenty-three-fold twenty-three hundred twenty-three-year-old 23 skidoo
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