What does seventieth mean?
Seventieth is the ordinal number corresponding to seventy, meaning 70th in a sequence. It is used adjectivally in expressions such as “the seventieth birthday,” “the seventieth anniversary,” and “the seventieth time.” As a noun, “a seventieth” can refer to someone who has reached seventy years of age, while “the seventieth” may denote the person or thing in 70th place. The word is formal but not uncommon, and it often marks a milestone or conclusion, as in describing an anniversary or birthday. Although the basic meaning is entirely numerical, such uses can carry the associations of longevity, experience, and achievement associated with the number seventy. The related adjective “seventiethly,” meaning “in the seventieth position,” exists but is much less common in ordinary use.
Denoting the 70th member of a sequence or position.
"The runner finished in the seventieth position."
A person who is seventy years old, or a person or thing in 70th place.
"The two seventieths entered the final together."
The plural is used for several people who are seventy years old.
"The group included several seventieths from the surrounding community."
Seventieth turns the plain number seventy into a milestone: the seventieth birthday, year, or lap.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does seventieth come from?
Seventieth developed within the English ordinal system by adding the suffix “-th” to seventy, paralleling forms such as twentieth and thirtieth. Seventy itself comes from Old English seofontig, formed from seofon, meaning “seven,” and an element meaning “ten,” reflecting the compound “seven tens.” Its further relatives include Latin septenary and septuagenarian, both associated with the Indo-European root for seven.
Related word forms
How seventieth is actually used
The adjective normally precedes a noun, while the noun is commonly introduced by “the,” “a,” or a possessive. When referring to age, forms such as “the seventieth year” and “the seventieth birthday” are more idiomatic than using the noun by itself.
Easily confused with seventieth
“Seventy” is the cardinal number, whereas “seventieth” identifies the 70th position in a sequence.