thirty
UK: ˈθɜːti | US: ˈθɜːrti
n. the number 30
adj. amounting to 30 in number
The word "thirty" originates from Old English "þrītig," a combination of "þrī" (three) and "-tig" (a suffix denoting groups of ten, akin to modern "-ty"). This structure reflects the Germanic decimal system, where numbers like 30, 40, etc., were linguistically treated as "three tens" or "four tens." The "-ty" suffix persists in modern English for multiples of ten (e.g., twenty, fifty). Over time, phonetic shifts simplified "þrītig" to "thirty," but the core logic of "three + ten" remains embedded in its spelling.
She celebrated her thirtieth birthday last week.
The recipe requires thirty grams of sugar.
Thirty students attended the workshop.
The temperature dropped to thirty degrees overnight.
He scored thirty points in the basketball game.