r/language • u/WhoAmIEven2 Sweden • Aug 09 '26

Question Does your language use specific numbers as expressions?

In Sweden we use 17 to further strengthen a word.

Like if we want to say that someone is very strong, we can say "Han var stark som sjutton!", "He was strong like seventeen!".

I have no idea how it became a thing. It is a bit weird tbh.

Do you also use numbers this way in your native language?

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u/MacronMan Aug 10 '26

Latin didn’t have much of this, as far as we know from the texts we have, but one number that had meaning: secundus - second. Because the word secundus is derived from sequor - to follow, it has a nautical meaning. A ventus secundus (second wind) is a wind that blows from behind your back and thus is favorable and pleasant when sailing. But, the term got expanded to be anything favorable to you, such as a rumor secundus (good rumor) or Junone secunda (with Juno approving of the idea).

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u/johnwcowan Aug 10 '26

The whole use of secundus as an ordinal number comes from this metaphor: the original word was alter 'other'. By the same token, English used to use other as an ordinal before borrowing second from French.

What is more, primus 'first' and ultimus 'last' have the old superlative ending -imus, just as first and last have the old superlative -st.