áttunda

Áttunda is an Icelandic term meaning “the eighth,” used as an ordinal numeral. In Icelandic grammar it functions to denote position in a sequence and is typically used with feminine nouns or in feminine determinations. The form is part of a broader system of Icelandic ordinals that reflect gender and number, and it appears in both modern usage and older Icelandic texts.

Etymology and cognates: Áttunda derives from the numeral átta, eight, combined with a suffix pattern traditionally used to form ordinals in North Germanic languages. Related forms appear in other Nordic languages, such as Danish ottende and Swedish åttonde, reflecting common Germanic roots.

Usage: Áttunda occurs in contexts such as calendars, lists, and descriptive phrases to indicate the eighth item or position. It also appears in compound expressions referring to “the eighth part” or other eightfold sequences. In modern Icelandic, as in other languages, the exact form chosen can depend on the surrounding noun’s gender and grammatical role.

Notes: The spelling with accented a (áttunda) should not be confused with similarly spelled terms in other languages or with place names in other countries, such as Attunda, a district in Sweden, which is unrelated to the Icelandic ordinal.

See also: North Germanic ordinals, Icelandic grammar, eight in language.