Numerals are either (a) Cardinal, expressing pure number, one, two, three; or (b) Ordinal, expressing rank or succession, first, second, third.

(a) Cardinals.

89.

The Cardinals fall into the three following syntactic groups:

Group I.

1. ān

2. twēgen [twain]

3. ðrīe

These numerals are inflected adjectives. Ān, one, an, a, being a long stemmed monosyllable, is declined like gōd (§ 80). The weak form, āna, means alone.

Twēgen and ðrīe, which have no singular, are thus declined:

Masc. Fem. Neut. Masc. Fem. Neut.

Plur. N.A. twēgen twā twā (tū) ðrīe ðrēo ðrēo

G. twēgra twēgra twēgra ðrēora ðrēora ðrēora

D. twǣm (twām) twǣm (twām) twǣm (twām) ðrīm ðrīm ðrīm

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90.

Group II.

4. fēower

5. fīf

6. siex

7. seofon

8. eahta

9. nigon

10. tīen

11. ęndlefan

12. twęlf

13. ðrēotīene

14. fēowertīene

15. fīftīene

16. siextīene

17. seofontīene

18. eahtatīene

19. nigontīene

These words are used chiefly as uninflected adjectives: on gewitscipe ðrēora oþþe fēower bisceopa, on testimony of three or four bishops; on siex dagum, in six days; ān nǣdre ðe hæfde nigon hēafdu, a serpent which had nine heads; æðeling eahtatīene wintra, a prince of eighteen winters.

91.

Group III.

20. twēntig

21. ān ǫnd twēntig

30. ðrītig

40. fēowertig

50. fīftig

60. siextig

70. hundseofontig

80. hundeahtatig

90. hundnigontig

100. hund

200. twā hund

1000. ðūsend

2000. twā ðūsend

All these numbers are employed as neuter singular nouns, and are followed by the genitive plural: Næfde hē þēah mā ðonne twēntig hrȳðera, and twēntig scēapa, and twēntig swȳna, He did not have, however, more than twenty (of) cattle, and twenty (of) sheep, and twenty (of) swine; Hīe hæfdon hundeahtatig scipa, They had eighty ships; twā hund mīla brād, two hundred miles broad; ðǣr wǣron seofon hund gūðfanena genumen, there were seven hundred standards captured; ān ðūsend mǫnna, a thousand men; Hannibales folces wæs twā ðūsend ofslagen, Of Hannibal’s men there were two thousand slain; Hīe ācuron ęndlefan ðūsend mǫnna, They chose eleven thousand men.

Note 1.—Group III is rarely inflected. Almost the only inflectional endings that are added are (1) -es, a genitive singular termination for the numerals in -tig, and (2) -e, a dative singular for hund. (1) The first is confined to adjectives expressing extent of space or time, as, eald, old; brād, broad; hēah, high; and lǫng, long: ðæt is ðrītiges mīla lǫng, that is thirty miles long; Hē wæs ðrītiges gēara eald, He was thirty years old. (2) The second is employed after mid: mid twǣm hunde scipa, with two hundred ships; mid ðrīm hunde mǫnna, with three hundred men; Ðǣr wearð ... Regulus gefangen mid V hunde mǫnna, There was Regulus captured with five hundred men.

The statement made in nearly all the grammars that hunde occurs as a nominative and accusative plural is without foundation.

Note 2.—Many numerals, otherwise indeclinable, are used in the genitive plural with the indefinite pronoun sum, which then means one of a certain number. In this peculiar construction, the numeral always precedes sum: fēowera sum, one of four (= with three others); Hē sǣde þæt hē syxa sum ofslōge syxtig, He said that he, with five others, slew sixty (whales); Hē wæs fēowertigra sum, He was one of forty.

Note 3.—These are the most common constructions with the Cardinals. The forms in -tig have only recently been investigated. A study of Wülfing’s citations shows that Alfred occasionally uses the forms in -tig (1) as adjectives with plural inflections: mid XXXgum cyningum, with thirty kings; and (2) as nouns with plural inflections: æfter siextigum daga, after sixty days. But both constructions are rare.

(b) Ordinals.

92.

The Ordinals, except the first two, are formed from the Cardinals. They are:

1. forma, ǣresta, fyrsta

2. ōðer, æfterra

3. ðridda

4. fēorða

5. fīfta

6. siexta

7. seofoða

8. eahtoða

9. nigoða

10. tēoða

11. ęndlefta

12. twęlfta

13. ðrēotēoða

14. fēowertēoða

15. fīftēoða etc.

20. twēntigoða

21. ān ǫnd twēntigoða

30. ðrītigoða etc.

Note.—There are no Ordinals corresponding to hund and ðūsend.

With the exception of ōðer (§ 77), all the Ordinals are declined as Weak Adjectives; the article, however, as in Mn.E., is frequently omitted: Brūtus wæs sē forma consul, Brutus was the first consul; Hēr ęndað sēo ǣreste bōc, ǫnd onginneð sēo ōðer, Here the first book ends, and the second begins; ðȳ fīftan dæge, on the fifth day; on ðǣm tēoðan gēare hiera gewinnes, in the tenth year of their strife; Hēo wæs twęlfte, She was twelfth; Sē wæs fēorða frǫm Agusto, He was fourth from Augustus.