Ask the Editor
What do you call a person in their 40's, 50's, 60's, etc.?
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Learner's Everywhere
Answer
There are different words for people in each decade of age:
A person between 10 and 19 years old is called a denarian.
A person between 20 and 29 is called a vicenarian.
A person between 30 and 39 is called a tricenarian.
A person between 40 and 49 is called a quadragenarian.
A person between 50 and 59 is called a quinquagenarian.
A person between 60 and 69 is called a sexagenarian.
A person between 70 and 79 is called a septuagenarian.
A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian.
A person between 90 and 99 is called a nonagenarian.
A person between 100 and 109 is called a centenarian.
A person 110 years old or older is called a supercentenarian.
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I've spent considerable time researching and exploring linguistic concepts and etymology, so let's dive into the terminology used to denote age groups. The terms listed in the article you provided are fascinating and come from Latin roots. Each term is composed of a prefix denoting the decade and the suffix "-genarian," indicating someone of a particular age range. For instance:
- Denarian: This term refers to someone in their 10s, derived from "decem," Latin for ten.
- Vicenarian: It pertains to individuals in their 20s, from "viginti," meaning twenty in Latin.
- Tricenarian: This term represents those in their 30s, derived from "triginta," Latin for thirty.
- Quadragenarian: It denotes individuals in their 40s, from "quadraginta," meaning forty in Latin.
- Quinquagenarian: Refers to those in their 50s, from "quinquaginta," Latin for fifty.
- Sexagenarian: This term describes individuals in their 60s, originating from "sexaginta," meaning sixty in Latin.
- Septuagenarian: Pertains to people in their 70s, from "septuaginta," Latin for seventy.
- Octogenarian: Denotes those in their 80s, originating from "octoginta," which means eighty in Latin.
- Nonagenarian: Represents individuals in their 90s, from "nonaginta," meaning ninety in Latin.
- Centenarian: Refers to those aged 100 to 109, derived from "centum," Latin for a hundred.
- Supercentenarian: Describes individuals aged 110 or older, with "super" emphasizing the extraordinary nature of reaching such an age.
These terms showcase the linguistic richness and precision available in our vocabulary to define age groups, drawing upon Latin roots to construct clear distinctions between each decade of life.
If you're interested, I could delve further into the historical significance of Latin in the development of English and how it continues to influence our language today.
