Ordinal number (linguistics)
WordNet

noun


(1)   The number designating place in an ordered sequence
WiktionaryText

Noun



  1. A word that expresses the relative position of an item in an ordered sequence.
    First, second and third are the ordinal numbers corresponding to one, two and three.
  2. A number used to denote position in a sequence.
    In the expression a3, the "3" is an ordinal number.
  3. A generalized kind of number to denote the size of a well-ordered set.

Usage notes


On ordinal number usage:
  • Ordinal numbers are general construed as adjectives preceding nouns in singular:
    eleventh day
  • Ordinal numbers are used for fractions as nouns, and for exponents usually followed by power and that numeral:
    two fifths, \textstyle\frac{2}{5}
    two to the minus twenty-first power, 2^{-21}
    six to the third, 6^3
  • Ordinal numbers are generally considered to be ordered from high to low, so that first place is considered highest, and fifth is lower than second. Degree is an exception.
  • Ordinal numbers corresponding to numbers higher than 20 use cardinal numbers for all the places preceding the final ordinal part:
    twenty-first or 21st, occasionally XXI
    one hundred fifteenth or 115th , occasionally CXV
    thirty-three thousandth or 33,000th
  • If an ordinal is followed by a plural noun, the two word phrase refers to a set of items described by the phrase in singular. For example second homes refers to a set of homes which are considered a "second home."
    Many households have third cars.
 
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