20s
|twen/ties|
/ˈtwɛntiz/
the twenties (years or age)
Etymology
'20s' originates from the English practice of combining the Arabic numeral '20' with the English plural suffix '-s' to abbreviate the word 'twenties'.
'20s' developed as a numeric shorthand for 'the twenties'. The word 'twenties' itself derives from 'twenty', which comes from Old English 'twēntig' (meaning 'twenty') and earlier Proto-Germanic roots.
Originally indicating the number 20 or a group of twenty, the term has come to refer specifically to the years numbered 20–29 of a century and to the age range from 20 to 29; context now determines which is meant.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the years 20–29 of a given century (a decade), e.g. the 1920s or the 2020s.
The fashions of the 20s were very different from those of the 1910s.
Synonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/09/23 08:08