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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

999 en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /naɪnz/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /naɪn.naɪn.naɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /trɪpəl.naɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Established in the United Kingdom as the first emergency service number in the world, initially chosen because of its suitability at a time of rotary-dial telephones.

Meanings

  1. (Hong-Kong, Ireland, Singapore, UK, colloquial, metonymically, uncountable) Emergency services; emergency service personnel.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nine nine nine alternative lexicographic
triple nine alternative lexicographic
Source: en.wiktionary, “999” (noun), dump 20260902, contributors via the page history. Text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

999 en · PROPN

Pronunciation

  • /naɪnz/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /naɪn.naɪn.naɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /trɪpəl.naɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Established in the United Kingdom as the first emergency service number in the world, initially chosen because of its suitability at a time of rotary-dial telephones.

Meanings

  1. The telephone number for emergency services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Burma, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Sudan, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Dominica, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and the Seychelles.
    • When you call 999 in the UK, the operator usually answers the phone with "Emergency. Which service?"
    • I don't know why they couldn't just keep it as it was! How hard is it to remember 911? You mean 999... I mean 999! That's the American one! Yeah! 2006 Feb. 3, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 2
  2. The telephone number for law enforcement in Singapore, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Eswatini, Botswana, Tanzania, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago.
  3. The telephone number for firefighting assistance in Malawi and Tonga.
  4. The telephone number for ambulance services in Poland.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nine nine nine alternative lexicographic
triple nine alternative lexicographic

Coordinates

119 · 110 · 112 · 111 · 000 · 911 · 105 (Mongolia)