# nine

Pronunciation: say "NYN" /naɪn/

## Numeral

1. The number 9, one more than eight; a group or set of nine people or things.
   - Simple: The number 9, which comes after eight and before ten, or a group of nine things.
   - _Multiply three by itself and you get nine._
   - _She answered nine of the ten questions correctly._

## Noun

2. The written character or figure that stands for the number 9.
   - Simple: The written symbol 9, used when writing numbers.
   - _She wrote a nine that looked more like a seven._
   - _The teacher showed the class how to form their nines neatly._
3. A playing card bearing nine pips, ranking between the eight and the ten in its suit.
   - Simple: A playing card marked with 9 small shapes that show its value.
   - _She laid down the nine of clubs and took the trick._
   - _A pair of nines beat his single high card._
4. A baseball team, club, or lineup, so called because it fields nine players.
   - Simple: A baseball team, made up of nine players on the field.
   - _The visiting nine scored four runs in the opening inning._
   - _Two rival nines met for the season's final game._
5. A semi-automatic pistol that fires nine-millimeter ammunition. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A small handgun that fires nine-millimeter bullets.
   - _She drew a nine from her holster during the drill._
   - _Both guards were issued nines for the night shift._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A unit of proportion counted by the number of nines in a figure such as 99.99%, used to express reliability or purity.

## Origin

"Nine" comes from Middle English "nyne" and Old English "nigon", from Proto-Germanic *newun, from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁néwn̥ meaning "nine". It is related to Dutch "negen", German "neun", Latin "novem", Ancient Greek "ennéa", and Sanskrit "navan".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nine (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).