What does seventeen mean?
Seventeen is the cardinal number between sixteen and eighteen, representing the sum of ten and seven. It is used to count people, objects, measurements, or years, and it can function as an adjective before a noun: a seventeen-year-old musician, seventeen miles, or seventeen applicants. In dates, ages, scores, and chapter numbers, it is usually written as a numeral, as in 17, although the written form remains appropriate in formal prose. The word is especially associated with the beginning of the teenage years, since seventeen follows the sixteenth birthday. It is also easily confused with seventy, the number 70, but the distinction is generally clear from context and pronunciation.
The cardinal number equal to ten plus seven.
"The team scored seventeen points in the second half."
Usually written as 17 when used numerically, particularly in dates, scores, and measurements.
Denoting a number, age, or quantity of seventeen.
"She spent seventeen weeks traveling through South America."
Common in attributive uses such as “seventeen years” and “seventeen-year-old.”
The plural is uncommon; it is used mainly when referring to separate groups or individuals of seventeen, as in “two seventeens.”
"The bakery sells number candles in multiples, including seventeens."
Seventeen is where the teen years begin: a number associated with the first year after the age of sixteen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does seventeen come from?
The word comes from Old English seofontig, a numeral meaning “ten and seven.” It was formed from a root meaning “seven” together with the same Germanic suffix used in other teen numbers. The modern form seventeen developed through Middle English and the influence of the ending -teen, which is related to the Old English suffix -tig, meaning “ten.” The English teen numerals ultimately preserve an Old English structure in which units such as seven and ten were combined.
Related word forms
How seventeen is actually used
As a numeral, “seventeen” is normally used without a plural ending when counting objects, as in “seventeen books.” It is also used attributively, especially in age expressions such as “a seventeen-year-old.”
Easily confused with seventeen
Seventeen is the number 17, while seventy is the number 70.