fifties
|fif/ties|
/ˈfɪftiz/
(fifty)
five tens; the number 50
Etymology
'fifty' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'fiftiġ', where 'fif' meant 'five' and the suffix '-tig' meant 'a group of ten'.
'fifty' changed from Proto-Germanic '*fimftigaz' through Old English 'fiftiġ' and Middle English forms, eventually becoming the modern English word 'fifty' (and plural 'fifties').
Initially, it meant 'five tens' (literally five groups of ten); over time it came to mean the number '50' and extended uses such as the decade 'the fifties' and the age range 'in one's fifties'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the decade from 1950 to 1959 (the 1950s).
Many classic films were made in the fifties.
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Noun 2
the age range from 50 to 59; someone who is in their fifties is aged between 50 and 59.
She's in her fifties and still runs marathons.
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Noun 3
plural of the number fifty; also used to refer to fifty-dollar (or fifty-unit) banknotes (e.g., 'two fifties').
He paid with two fifties.
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Last updated: 2025/08/16 17:15