Twenty

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: twÄ•nt’ĭ IPA: /ˈtwÉ›nti/
• US
• Rhymes: -É›nti, -ÊŒnti

Alternative forms

• Arabic numerals: 20 see for numerical forms in other scripts
• Roman numerals: XX

Origin

From Middle English twenty, twenti, from Old English twēntiġ ("twenty", literally two tens), from Proto-Germanic *twaintigiwiz, *twai tigiwiz, an old compound of *twain-/*twai (see two) and *-tigaz/*teguz, equivalent to two + -ty, or twain + -ty. Cognate with Scots twenty, tuenty ("twenty"), West Frisian tweintich ("twenty"), Dutch twintig ("twenty"), German zwanzig ("twenty"), Danish tyve.

Numeral

numeral

1. The cardinal number 20, occurring after nineteen and before twenty-one.

Derived terms

• twenties
• twentieth
• twenty past
• twenty to
• twenty to the dozen
• twenty-twenty

Related terms

• twoty

Full definition of twenty

Noun

1. (colloquial) A banknote with a denomination of 20.The waiter’s face lit up when I gave him a twenty.
2. (CB slang) 10-20 (location).What’s your twenty, good buddy?
3. (military) A set of twenty push-ups.Drop and give me twenty, Ric! (Recruit.)