vingt

Vingt is the French numeral for the number 20. It is used as a cardinal number in counting, dating, pricing, and mathematics, and it also serves as the base from which larger French numerals are formed in certain patterns.

Etymology and cognates: Vingt derives from Latin viginti and entered French via Old French. It has cognates in other Romance languages, such as vingt in French, venti in Italian, veinte in Spanish, vinte in Portuguese, and venti in some forms of other Romance languages, all tracing back to viginti.

Usage in French numbers: In compounds, vingt serves as the tens base for numbers 21 through 29, typically written as vingt-deux, vingt-trois, etc., with 21 commonly rendered as vingt et un. For numbers 30 and above, French shifts to the tens words trente, quarante, cinquante, and soixante. The system then moves into a vigesimal pattern for 70–99: 70 is soixante-dix (sixty-ten), 71 soixante et onze, 72 soixante-douze, up to 79 soixante-dix-neuf. Eighty is quatre-vingts (four twenties), with 81 written quatre-vingt-un, and 91 as quatre-vingt-onze, showing the mix of vigesimal and decimal counting.

Orthography and pluralization: The plural form "vingts" is used only in specific contexts, notably in quatre-vingts for 80 when it is a standalone multiple of twenty. When 20 forms part of a larger number, or in phrases like “j’ai vingt ans” or “la vingtaine,” the form remains without the final s.

Cultural usage: Vingt appears in common expressions such as la vingtaine (the twenties) and avoir vingt ans, reflecting both literal age and approximate eras. In arithmetic and education, vingt is frequently employed in examples alongside other French numerals.