seventeen

seventeen

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Pronunciation

IPA Phonetic Spelling

/ˌsɛvənˈtiːn/

Syllable Breakdown:

• Sev- /ˌsɛv/:

• /s/: voiceless alveolar fricative

• /ɛ/: open-mid front unrounded vowel

• /v/: voiced labiodental fricative

• -en- /ən/:

• /ə/: schwa (mid-central vowel)

• /n/: alveolar nasal

• -teen /tiːn/:

• /t/: voiceless alveolar stop

• /iː/: close front unrounded vowel (long 'ee' sound)

• /n/: alveolar nasal

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Word Form Variations

• Numeral: seventeen

• Ordinal Adjective/Noun: seventeenth

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

I. Numeral

1. Definition: The cardinal number equivalent to the sum of sixteen and one; one more than sixteen; 17.

• Synonyms: 17, XVII

• Antonyms: (Not applicable for a specific number, as it represents a fixed quantity.)

II. Adjective

1. Definition: Constituting a group or quantity of seventeen.

• Example: "There were seventeen students in the class."

• Synonyms: 17, numerous (in a general sense, if referring to a collection of seventeen items), many (if the quantity of seventeen is considered large in context)

• Antonyms: zero, none, few (if comparing to a much larger number)

III. Noun

1. Definition: The number 17.

• Example: "My lucky number is seventeen."

• Synonyms: 17, the number after sixteen

• Antonyms: (Not applicable as a distinct numerical entity.)

2. Definition: A group or set of seventeen people or things.

• Example: "The coach picked a seventeen for the starting lineup."

• Synonyms: septendecad (rare), group of seventeen, team (if referring to a sports team of seventeen)

• Antonyms: singularity, individual (if referring to a single item from the group)

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Examples of Use

• Books:

• "Chapter seventeen delves deeper into the protagonist's past, revealing a hidden family secret." (From The Midnight Library by Matt Haig)

• "She was only seventeen when she first left her small village for the bustling city." (From Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens)

• Newspapers:

• "Seventeen people were injured in the multi-vehicle pileup on the highway yesterday morning." (As reported in The New York Times)

• "The local council approved seventeen new housing developments in an effort to address the housing crisis." (The Guardian)

• Online Publications:

• "At seventeen, most teenagers are navigating college applications and newfound independence." (From an article on adolescence in Psychology Today)

• "The tech giant announced seventeen new features for its upcoming software update, promising improved user experience." (As seen on TechCrunch)

• Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Music: "You were seventeen, and I was twenty-one." (From the song "Seventeen" by Alessia Cara)

• Film: "The film chronicles the journey of a young man who joins the army at seventeen." (Plot summary for 1917)

• Television: "In season three, episode seventeen, the main character finally confronts their long-lost sibling." (Referring to Stranger Things)

• Video Games: "Players must collect seventeen ancient artifacts to unlock the final level of the game." (As described in a review of Elden Ring)

• General Public Discourse:

• "My son just turned seventeen, and he's already talking about getting his driver's license." (Casual conversation)

• "There are seventeen more days until my vacation starts!" (Everyday planning)

• "Could you hand me the box with the seventeen on it?" (Referring to a numbered item)

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10 Quotes Using Seventeen

1. "I learned the truth at seventeen, That love was meant for beauty queens." (Janis Ian, "At Seventeen" lyrics, 1975)

2. "It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course." (Hank Aaron, BrainyQuote)

3. "How old are you?” “Seventeen,” he answered promptly. “And how long have you been seventeen?” His lips twitched as he stared at the road. “A while,” he admitted at last." (Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, 2005)

4. "You're seventeen," Magnus said. "You can't have wasted a life you've barely lived." (Cassandra Clare, City of Heavenly Fire, 2014)

5. "When I was sixteen or seventeen, I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a playwright. But everything I wrote, I thought, was weak." (Francis Ford Coppola, BrainyQuote)

6. "Oh, if I had been loved at the age of seventeen, what an idiot I would be today." (Gustave Flaubert, BrainyQuote)

7. "Well she was just seventeen, you know what I mean." (The Beatles, "I Saw Her Standing There" lyrics, 1963)

8. "My dad told me, 'It takes fifteen years to be an overnight success', and it took me seventeen and a half years." (Adrien Brody, BrainyQuote)

9. "I've made a career over the last seventeen years of mostly playing men in uniform, especially cops." (Benjamin Bratt, Interview with Jeff Otto, July 2004)

10. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17, NIV Bible)

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Etymology

The word "seventeen" comes from a very old way of forming numbers in Germanic languages, which English is a part of.

Think of it as "seven" plus "ten."

• The "seven-" part is clearly from the number seven.

• The "-teen" part comes from an Old English word, "tīene" or "tēon," which meant "ten." This same root is where we get "ten" itself, as well as the "-teen" in numbers like thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and so on.

So, "seventeen" literally meant something like "seven and ten."

The first known uses of numbers formed this way in English go back to the very earliest stages of the language, in Old English, around the 8th or 9th century. At that time, its meaning was exactly what it is today: the number that is one more than sixteen and one less than eighteen.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Seventeen

• Sweet Sixteen, Nearing Seventeen: Often used to refer to the period of late adolescence, just before or around the age of seventeen, implying a time of transition and youthful experiences.

• Seventeen Candles: A direct reference to the coming-of-age film, used metaphorically to talk about a seventeenth birthday or the transition into that age.

• The Seventeen-Year Itch: A playful variation on "the seven-year itch," implying a potential restlessness or desire for change after seventeen years in a relationship or a particular situation.

• Stuck at Seventeen: Describes someone who, regardless of their actual age, acts or feels perpetually youthful, perhaps immature, or nostalgic for their teenage years.

• A Seventeen-Point Plan: Refers to a detailed and often extensive plan or proposal, emphasizing its comprehensiveness.

• Turning the Page at Seventeen: Signifies a significant life transition or decision made around the age of seventeen, often involving leaving home, starting a job, or a major personal change.

• Down to Seventeen: (Original) Used in situations where a quantity or number is being reduced, indicating that it has been brought down to seventeen. For example, "We've got the budget down to seventeen major expenses."

• Seventeen Ways to...: (Original) A common journalistic or informal construction suggesting numerous methods or options for achieving something. Example: "Seventeen ways to save money on your next grocery run."

• Seventeen on the Dot: (Original) Emphasizes precision or exactness, particularly when referring to time or a count. Example: "The meeting will start at seventeen hundred hours on the dot."

• Counting to Seventeen: (Original) Used to imply patience or a methodical approach to a task, similar to "counting to ten."

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of seventeen from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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