sixteen
sixteen
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "sixteen" is /sɪksˈtiːn/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
First syllable (/sɪks/):
/s/ as in "sit"
/ɪ/ as in "kit"
/k/ as in "cat"
/s/ as in "bus"
Second syllable (/ˈtiːn/):
/t/ as in "top"
/iː/ as in "fleece"
/n/ as in "nap"
Word Form Variations
"Sixteen" is primarily a cardinal number and an adjective, so its forms don't typically vary in the same way as nouns (singular/plural) or verbs (different tenses).
Cardinal Number: sixteen
Ordinal Number: sixteenth
Fractional: one sixteenth
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition 1: Representing the quantity equivalent to the sum of fifteen and one; one more than fifteen.
Synonyms: n/a (as a specific number, direct synonyms are not applicable)
Antonyms: n/a
Definition 2: Denoting a group or set containing sixteen individual units or members.
Synonyms: n/a
Antonyms: n/a
Noun
Definition 1: The cardinal number that is the sum of fifteen and one; the number 16.
Synonyms: n/a (as a specific number, direct synonyms are not applicable)
Antonyms: n/a
Definition 2: A numerical digit or symbol representing the quantity of sixteen.
Synonyms: 16, XVI (Roman numeral)
Antonyms: n/a
Definition 3: (Informal) The age of sixteen years.
Synonyms: sweet sixteen (often specifically referring to a girl's 16th birthday)
Antonyms: n/a
Examples of Use
Books: "It had been sixteen years since the first whisper of the prophecy, and the old wizard still hadn't found the chosen one." (From a fantasy novel, often used for setting timeframes or quantities).
Newspapers: "The city council approved the budget increase by a vote of sixteen to five." (Daily Nation).
Online Publications: "In a recent interview, the artist revealed that their next album will feature sixteen new tracks." (Pitchfork).
Entertainment Mediums (Film): "She was sixteen, standing on the cusp of adulthood, facing choices that would define her future." (Dialogue from a coming-of-age film).
Entertainment Platforms (Music): "Sweet Sixteen" (Title of a song by various artists, including Billy Idol, released in 1986).
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): "Level sixteen requires players to navigate a complex labyrinth while avoiding enchanted guardians." (Description from a video game guide).
General Public Discourse: "I've got sixteen things on my to-do list today, so I'd better get started." (Common informal speech).
General Public Discourse: "The maximum speed limit on this road is sixteen kilometers per hour for heavy vehicles." (Traffic sign or local regulation discussion).
10 Quotes Using Sixteen
"If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all." (John Cage)
"I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat." (Babe Ruth)
"When I was sixteen, it was simple. Poetry existed; therefore it could be written; and nobody had told me — yet — the many, many reasons why it could not be written by me." (Margaret Atwood, June 1995)
"In most states you can get a driver's license when you're sixteen years old, which made a lot of sense to me when I was sixteen years old but now seems insane." (Phyllis Diller)
"If you're lucky, the friends you make when you're sixteen stay with you for the rest of your life." (Megan Hart)
"I have a twenty-month-old baby, a sixteen-year-old boy - same maturity level." (Gloria Estefan)
"There are only two periods in a woman's life when she hopes to be taken for older than she is, under sixteen and over ninety." (Ruth Rendell)
"When children reach the age of sixteen, they discover the meaning of life: car keys." (Erma Bombeck)
"How old are you Johnny? she asked. 'Sixteen.' And what's that-a boy or a man?" He laughed. "A boy in time of peace and a man in time of war." (Esther Forbes)
"On the 10th of September 1962, sixteen bullets was fired into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tucker for me." (Fannie Lou Hamer)
Etymology
The word "sixteen" has a pretty straightforward history, tracing back to the very roots of the English language.
Essentially, "sixteen" is a combination of the words "six" and "ten."
Its journey goes like this:
Old English: The earliest form of "sixteen" in Old English was "sixtyne" or "sixtene." You can still clearly see the "six" and "ten" parts in those old spellings. The "tyne" or "tene" part comes from an ancient Germanic root meaning "ten."
Proto-Germanic: Going even further back, the word's ancestors are found in Proto-Germanic (the language from which English and other Germanic languages like German and Dutch developed). There, it would have been something like "*sehs-tīhun," literally meaning "six-ten."
Proto-Indo-European: And even before that, we can trace its roots to Proto-Indo-European, the theoretical ancestor of most European and some Asian languages.
First Known Use and Meaning:
The meaning of "sixteen" has been consistent right from its first known uses in Old English: it has always referred to the number that is six plus ten, or one more than fifteen. It's a fundamental counting word, and its numerical value has remained unchanged throughout its linguistic evolution. So, the first time you might have seen "sixtyne" written down in an Old English text, it would have meant exactly what "sixteen" means to us today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Sixteen
Sweet Sixteen: Refers to a girl's sixteenth birthday, often celebrated as a significant coming-of-age event.
Sixteen candles: (Often referencing the movie title) Implies a coming-of-age celebration or the innocence of a young person turning sixteen.
Sixteen-o-something: Used informally to refer to a numerical value that is approximately sixteen, or in the range of the early teens/late teens, especially in dates (e.g., "in the sixteen hundreds").
Sixteen ways from Sunday: (An alternative to "a hundred ways from Sunday" or "forty ways from Sunday") Means in every conceivable way, or thoroughly.
Sixteen-year itch: A playful, less common variation on "seven-year itch," implying a mid-life crisis or restlessness that might occur around the age of sixteen (though "seven-year itch" is far more common for marital boredom).
Hit sixteen: To reach the age of sixteen.
Turning sixteen: Becoming sixteen years old.
Sixteen to the dozen: (Less common) Similar to "nineteen to the dozen," meaning speaking or working very quickly and volubly.
Sixteen-bit: (Technical/computing) Refers to a type of computer architecture or data processing that uses sixteen bits of information.
Sixteen-wheeler: (Original phrase for similar effect) While "eighteen-wheeler" is standard, "sixteen-wheeler" could be used informally to describe a large truck.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of sixteen from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
