ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fifth

n.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈfɪfθ// UK //fˈɪfθ// fifth Dialect General-service Informal

n. the position of number five in a series. You use it to describe something that comes after the fourth person or thing.

n. the ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number five. Functions as a determiner or pronoun to indicate position in a sequence.


SIMPLE

This is the fifth time I have called you today.

CONTEXTUAL

She finished in fifth place during the race, just missing out on a medal.

COMPLEX

The composer introduced a haunting melody in the fifth measure of the symphony, shifting the mood from triumph to a quiet, reflective melancholy.

Origin

PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English fifthe, fifte, fift, from Old English fīfta (“fifth”), from Proto-Germanic fimftô (“fifth”) or femftô, equivalent to five + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognate with Scots fift, fyft (“fifth”), North Frisian fyfde (“fifth”), West Frisian fyfde (“fifth”), Dutch vijfde (“fifth”), Low German fifte, föfte, füfte (“fifth”), German fünfte (“fifth”), Danish femte (“fifth”), Swedish femte (“fifth”), Icelandic fimmta (“fifth”).

Usage

When used as an ordinal, it is almost always preceded by the definite article 'the'.

Pitfall

He is the five person in line.He is the fifth person in line.Learners sometimes use the cardinal number 'five' instead of the ordinal 'fifth' when describing a position in a sequence.

Idioms2 entries

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