euqinimod
03/09/10, 04:11 PM
steenth (steenth)
adjective:
1. Latest in an indefinitely long sequence.
2. One sixteenth.
Etymology
Alteration of the word sixteenth.
Notes
The formation of the word "steenth" from "sixteenth" took place through a process called aphesis (from Greek, literally "a letting go"). Aphesis is when an unstressed sound from the beginning of a word get lost over time. Some other examples are:
"cute" from "acute"
"'tis" from "it is"
"gypsy" from "Egyptian", from the belief that Gypsies came from Egypt (they actually came from India).
Usage
"And for the steenth time I wondered why he hadn't phoned me." — Robert A. Heinlein; The Cat Who Walks Through Walls; Putnam Publishing; 1985. amazon.com/o/asin/0441094996/ws00-20.
---www.answers.com
adjective:
1. Latest in an indefinitely long sequence.
2. One sixteenth.
Etymology
Alteration of the word sixteenth.
Notes
The formation of the word "steenth" from "sixteenth" took place through a process called aphesis (from Greek, literally "a letting go"). Aphesis is when an unstressed sound from the beginning of a word get lost over time. Some other examples are:
"cute" from "acute"
"'tis" from "it is"
"gypsy" from "Egyptian", from the belief that Gypsies came from Egypt (they actually came from India).
Usage
"And for the steenth time I wondered why he hadn't phoned me." — Robert A. Heinlein; The Cat Who Walks Through Walls; Putnam Publishing; 1985. amazon.com/o/asin/0441094996/ws00-20.
---www.answers.com