eleventeen en · NUM
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Germanic *ainaz Proto-Indo-European *leyp- Proto-Germanic *lībaną Proto-Germanic *-lif Proto-Germanic *ainalif Proto-West Germanic *ainalif Proto-West Germanic *ainalifun Old English endleofan Middle English elleven English eleven Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ Proto-Germanic *tehun Proto-West Germanic *tehunder. Anglian Old English -tēne Middle English -tene English -teen English eleventeen From eleven + -teen.
Meanings
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(nonce-word) Twenty-one (21).
Many giglets I have married seen / Ere they forsooth could reach eleventeen.
1600s, Wither, Weakness:
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(colloquial) A relatively large number, not precisely specified.
I can make the locals laugh at my attempts in a few other languages, such as Swedish, but I'm certainly not like the average European who seems to speak "eleventeen" languages
2004, Brooks Peterson, Cultural Intelligence: A Guide to Working with People from Other Cultures:Trust me, I've checked every angle and analyzed a zillion options eleventeen different ways.
2001, Rick D. Ellison, Gamble to Win: Craps:"He fitted about eleventeen thousand people last year."
1919, Sinclair Lewis, Free Air:
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(colloquial) A nonsense number.
Hobbes: Ooh, that's a tricky one. You have to use calculus and imaginary numbers for this. Calvin: Imaginary numbers?! Hobbes: You know, eleventeen, thirty-twelve, all those.
1988 January 6, Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes: