Onzième

Onzième is a French ordinal number that corresponds to the English "eleventh." It is used to indicate the position of something in a sequence or order, representing the numeral 11 when counting in succession.

The word derives from the Latin "undecimus," which literally means "one plus ten." In French, ordinal numbers are used to express rank, order, or position in a series, such as floors in a building, place in a competition, or items in a list.

When used in sentences, "onzième" must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. For example, "le onzième étage" (the eleventh floor) for masculine nouns, and "la onzième place" (the eleventh place) for feminine nouns. The plural form is "onzièmes," as in "les onzièmes heures" (the eleventh hours).

In musical contexts, "onzième" refers to the interval of an eleventh, which spans eleven scale degrees. This interval is considered dissonant in classical harmony and is often used for its tense, unresolved quality.

The term also appears in historical and cultural references, such as the "Onzième Commandement" (Eleventh Commandment) in various religious or philosophical contexts, though this is not part of the traditional biblical Ten Commandments.

In modern French usage, "onzième" follows standard ordinal number conventions. It can be replaced by the cardinal number "onze" in casual speech, though formal contexts typically require the ordinal form. The word is commonly used in literature, mathematics, sports commentary, and everyday conversation to denote sequential position or order.