English Reference

Word

thirteenth

Phoneticsthir·teenth

US/ˈθɝˈtinθ/

UK/θˈɜːtiːnθ/

Definitions

01position in a sequence

A2

num. coming after the twelfth person or thing in a series.

num. the ordinal form of the number thirteen, indicating a position in a sequence.

“She finished in thirteenth place out of fifty runners.”

“The thirteenth floor is often omitted from elevator panels in some cultures due to long-standing superstitions regarding the number.”

Pitfall

It was his thirteen birthday.

It was his thirteenth birthday.

Use the ordinal form 'thirteenth' for positions and dates, not the cardinal number 'thirteen'.

02the day of the month

A2

n. the day that comes after the twelfth day of a month.

n. the thirteenth day of a calendar month.

“The meeting is scheduled for the thirteenth of June.”

“The contract was signed on the thirteenth, exactly one month before the project was due to commence.”

03a fraction

B2 · Math

n. one of thirteen equal parts of something.

n. one of thirteen equal parts into which a whole is divided.

“Each person received one thirteenth of the total prize money.”

“The inheritance was divided precisely, with each beneficiary receiving a thirteenth of the estate's liquid assets.”

04musical interval

C2 · Music

n. a large musical gap that covers an octave plus a sixth.

n. the musical interval comprising an octave and a sixth; also the thirteenth degree of a diatonic scale.

“The jazz pianist played a beautiful chord with a thirteenth.”

“The composer utilised a dominant thirteenth chord to create a sense of lush, unresolved tension before the final movement.”

Technical

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English thrittenthe, thrittethe, from Old English þrēottēoþa; equivalent to thirteen + -th (ordinal suffix).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

thirteenth reason why — Synonym of thirteenth reason.

Domain

Music

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/thirteenth

English Reference