negentig

Negentig is the Dutch cardinal number for 90. It is used in counting, ages, measurements and in phrases that reference the value ninety, such as 90 degrees or the phrase “negentig jaar oud” (ninety years old). In Dutch, negentig is part of the tens series that includes twintig (20), dertig (30), veertig (40), vijftig (50), zestig (60), zeventig (70) and tachtig (80). The form negentig is the standard spelling for the value of ninety and is not hyphenated.

Etymology and linguistic note: negentig is formed from negarive roots in Dutch where the word for nine, negen, combines with a suffix related to the concept of tens, yielding the sense of nine tens (ninety). It shares a common Germanic heritage with languages such as German, where the equivalent is neunzig. The dutch ordinal form for ninety is negentigst e (ninety-first). The word appears in standard Dutch usage and in modern writing.

Numerical properties: 90 is an even number and its prime factorization is 2 × 3² × 5. It is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 18, 30, 45 and 90. In geometry, 90 degrees is a right angle, a common reference in mathematics and design.

Usage and context: beyond basic counting, negentig appears in references to years (the 1990s are described in Dutch as de negentiger jaren), ages, scores, and measurements. Its usage is standard across formal and informal Dutch, with ordinal form used for positions such as negentigste (ninety-first).