octogenarian
/ˌɒktədʒɪˈneɹiən/ok-tuh-jih-NEH-ree-uhn
/ˌɑktədʒɪˈnɛɹiən/ahk-tuh-jih-NEH-ree-uhn
Meaningof eighty years
Common meaning: a person in their eighties
- octeightLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1254 · scan
- genbirth, descent, race; a typeLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 810 · scan
- arianone of a certain age, kind or belief
‘eight’ + ‘birth, descent, race’ → octogenarian
Journey through time
- oct — Latin octō “eight” (path traced)
- gen — Latin genus, generis “birth, descent, race; a type” (path traced)
- Latinoctō + genus, generis‘eight + birth, descent, race’
- Englishoctogenarian‘a person in their eighties’ · today
gen also in: genusgenuinecryogeniccarcinogendegenerate
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin octō ‘eight’ + Latin genus ‘birth, descent, race; a type’.
Did you know (Carcinogen, cryogenic, iatrogenic,…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry genus, p. 810 · dictionary scan
Did you know (Latin octo, eight,…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry octō, p. 1254 · dictionary scan
Roots
- genus, generis Latin “birth, descent, race; a type”
- octō Latin “eight”
Related words
carcinogencryogenicdegenerategenuinegenusheterogeneousheterogeneouslyiatrogenicindigenousparthenogenesistransgenderoctave
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