octogenarian
/ˌɑktəd͡ʒɪˈnɛɹiən/
octogenarian · adj — of or related to eightysomethings. It carries an Arena rating of 1473, earned across 36 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, octogenarian ranks #1,608 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #6,463 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words, #6,870 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #6,983 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
octogenarian is pronounced /ˌɑktəd͡ʒɪˈnɛɹiən/.
Why “octogenarian” is a great word
OCTOGENARIAN — [Adjective, Noun] A person between eighty and eighty-nine years old, or of or relating to that decade of life. From Latin octōgēnārius ("containing eighty") + the English suffix -an, from octōgintā ("eighty"). First attested in English in 1789. Unlike "nonagenarian," which precisely maps the ninth decade, or the vague, unspecific "elderly," octogenarian is a cartographer's term for a particular plateau of human existence. It is the deliberate gesture of hands mapping a familiar table, the afternoon light falling with a softer weight across a well-read page, and the deep-rooted rosebush that outlives the house it was planted beside—the tangible, accumulating physics of eight decades, where time is now measured more in seasons witnessed than in years anticipated.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Latin octōgēnārius + -an (suffix forming adjectives and representative nouns), either directly or via French octogénaire, from Latin octōgēnus (“80 each”) + -ārius (“-ary”), from octōgintā (“eight tens, 80”).
adj
- Of or related to eightysomethings.
noun
- Synonym of eightysomething: a person between 80 and 89 years old.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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