robocall@lemmy.world to Antique Memes Roadshow@lemmy.world · 6 months agooneteenlemmy.worldimagemessage-square44fedilinkarrow-up1399arrow-down112
arrow-up1387arrow-down1imageoneteenlemmy.worldrobocall@lemmy.world to Antique Memes Roadshow@lemmy.world · 6 months agomessage-square44fedilink
minus-squareImWaitingForRetcons@lemm.eelinkfedilinkarrow-up9·edit-26 months agoIt’s a holdover from an older base-12 counting system, one of many, many relics of the fact that English is an ever evolving language. Edit: it’s not a holdover from a different base, but a different way of counting. See comment below for details.
minus-squareBob@feddit.nllinkfedilinkarrow-up6·6 months agoNo, it supposedly derives from an old word for a leftover. Eleven is one left over after ten; twelve is two left over after ten. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/eleven_adj?tab=etymology#5639642
It’s a holdover from an older base-12 counting system, one of many, many relics of the fact that English is an ever evolving language.
Edit: it’s not a holdover from a different base, but a different way of counting. See comment below for details.
No, it supposedly derives from an old word for a leftover. Eleven is one left over after ten; twelve is two left over after ten. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/eleven_adj?tab=etymology#5639642