Forms: α. 1 þreotiene, -tene, -tyne, þreottene, -tyne, 1–4 þrettyne, 2–5 þrit-, 3 þre-, þreat-, 4 thrat-, þrot-, thrittene, þritten, 4–7 thret-, 5 throt-, (thred-), thryttene, thretten, 6 thretene, 7 threteen(e, threttein. β. 5 þirt-, 5–6 thyr-, thurtene, 6 thirtene, -tine, thurteyn, 6–7 thirteene, 8 therteen, 7– thirteen. [OE. þréotíene, -téne = OS. thriutein, thrutein, OFris. thretten (MLG. druttein, Du. dertien), OHG. drîzehan (G. dreizehn), ON. þrettán (Da. tretten, Sw. tretton); f. þréo, THREE + tíene, téne, pl. -TEEN, TEN.] The cardinal number composed of ten and three, represented by the symbols 13 or XIII.
A. adj. 1. In concord with a sb. expressed.
α. a. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., I. xiii. [xxiii.] (1890), 54. Þreotteno ʓer & syx monað & tyn daʓas. Ibid., IV. xxiv. [xxiii.] 342. Þær seondon betweoh þæm mynstrum twæm þreottyne mila ametene.
c. 1200. Ormin, 11071. Ȝe muȝhenn uppo ȝure ȝer þrittene moneþþ findenn.
c. 1205. Lay., 7771. Þreottene monðes wunede Julius in Oðeres.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 234. Seinte Sare, nes heo fulle þreattene ȝer itented of hire vlesche.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 652. Brut is sone king was þrettene [v.rr. þrottene, thryttene] ȝer.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 7305 + st. 279. For þritten pouer men & ȝete mo.
1610. Mem. St. Giles’s Durham, 39. Everie housholder shall pay to the bakehouse man for everie threteene cakes one cake and no more.
1661. Reg. Privy Counc. Scotl., I. 26. Threttein.
β. c. 1430. R. Gloucester’s Chron. (Rolls), 8666 (MS. ε.). He adde be kyng þirttene ȝer.
1531. in Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (1898), 34. To haue for his waiges only thurteyn shillinges and foure pence by the yere.
1538. Elyot, Tredecim, thyrtene.
1561. Daus, trans. Bullinger on Apoc., Pref. (1573), 14. Thirtine yeares past.
1588. Holy Bull, etc. (title-p.). Pardon and Indulgence of their Sinnes: and that for … two Spanish Realls, viz. Thirteen Pence.
1659. Baxter, Key Cath., xxxii. 205. One Kingdom hath thirteen Arch-bishops.
1901. N. Amer. Rev., Feb., 162. Fines amounting to thirteen times the amount of the indemnity.
2. Absolutely (or sb. implied in context).
c. 1000. Menologium (Gr.), 116. Ymb þreotyne [tida lange] … tyn mihtum eac.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 10377. In þe ȝer of grace ywis Tuelf hundred & þretene ido was al þis.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. V. 128. I … putte hem in a pressour … Til ten ȝerdes oþer twelue tolden out þrettene.
1562. in W. H. Turner, Select. Rec. Oxford (1880), 289. Called before the Mayre and the thurtene.
1725. in Warden, Burgh Laws Dundee, etc. (1872), 356. Non shall give no more butt therteen for the duson of bread, except that it be to Baxteris or Baxters wifs.
1865. S. Evans, Bro. Fabian’s MS., Charm, v. If thirteen sit down to sup And thou first have risen up, Goodman, turn thy money!
1884. Harper’s Mag., Nov., 889/1. I do not know as to their feelings regarding thirteen at table.
† 3. As ordinal: = THIRTEENTH. Obs.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paulus), 72. [He] prechit þare … till of nero þe thrattene ȝere.
c. 1430. Freemasonry, 239. The threttene artycul … Ys [etc.].
1503. Rolls of Parlt., VI. 527/3. The thretene day of Marche.
1551. Recorde, Pathw. Knowl., I. Defin. In the thirtene conclusion.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 30. He … died the thirteen of November, Anno 1142.
1640–1. Kirkcudbr, War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855), 60. The threttene day of October, 1640.
4. Comb., forming attrib. phrases, as thirteen-day, -inch, -stone; thirteen-ringed, -square adjs.; † thirteen-penny sb. = B. 2.
1517. Torkington, Pilgr. (1884), 30. A fayer Tower xiij Sqware.
1798. Hull Advertiser, 6 Oct., 2/1. The two thirteen-inch mortars.
1828. Landor, Imag. Conv., Wks. 1846, I. 305/2. A half-crown contents me … and, just for the peg-polisher, a thirteen-penny.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 263. Getting these twelve to thirteen-stone gentlemen up.
1898. P. Manson, Trop. Diseases, xxxvii. 589. A thirteen-ringed larva is hatched out from each egg.
1904. Westm. Gaz., 8 Feb., 5/2. The thirteen-story Continental Trust building.
† b. Thirteen-pence-halfpenny, alleged to have been the wage of a hangman. Thirteen-pence-halfpenny piece, the name of the Scottish merk (= 13s. 4d. Scots money) current during the 17th century. Obs.
[c. 1470. Miners’ Laws, in C. Walters, Bygone Somerset (1897), 41. If any … doth pick or steal any lead or Oare to the value of thirteen pence halfpenny the lord or his Officers may Arrest all his Lead-works.]
1604. Dekker, 2nd Pt. Honest Wh., Wks. 1873, II. 171. Why should I eate hempe-seed at the Hangmans thirteene-pence halfe-penny Ordinary?
1608. Day, Hum. out of Br., IV. F iij. He could not hang me for’t; tis not worth thirteen pence halfe penny.
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 46. A paper of old thirteen-pence-halfpenny pieces, half and quarter pieces, with nine-pences, and four-pence-halfpennies, all old crooked money, Scotch and Irish coin.
1796. Pegge, Anonym. (1809), 460. Thirteen-pence halfpenny is Hangman’s wages, because there was a piece of money of this sort, as likewise six-pence three-farthings, the half of it, both of them Scotch pieces, brought to us by James the First. I have seen them both.
B. sb. (With plural thirteens.)
1. The abstract number; also, a symbol or the figures representing this.
That the number is unlucky is a widespread superstition (cf. quots. 1865, 1884 in A. 2); hence such applications as thirteen club: see quots. 1883, 1905.
a. 1400. in Halliwell, Rara Mathem. (1841), 30. Nombrys … componyd of a digyt and of an articule as fourtene fyftene thrittene and suche other.
1599. Minsheu, Span. Dict., s.v. Tréze, Estárse en sus Tréze, to be in his thirteenes, to be obstinate, to stand still in his purpose.
1883. St. James’s Gaz., 26 Oct. The social crusade against the venerable superstition respecting the number 13…. Last year, a Thirteen Club was established [in America].
1905. Daily News, 6 Feb., 9. Where is the Thirteen Club and its campaign to shame the superstitious public out of their dread of the number 13?
b. A thing distinguished by the number thirteen, as an article of a certain size so called.
1799. Hull Advertiser, 20 April, 2/3. Wine bottles, thirteens, fourteens, and fifteens, at 2s. 6d. per dozen.
Mod. This gentleman takes a thirteen in boots.
† 2. The name formerly current in Ireland for a silver shilling, as being worth thirteen pence of Irish copper currency. Obs.
c. 1720. Swift, Dean’s Answ., 8. Restore … My twelve thirteens and sixpence ha’penny.
1762. Foote, Orators, II. (1780), 57. I’ll wager you three thirteens to a rap, that it is no such matter at all, at all.
1810. Naval Chron., XXIV. 151. Oft was his pocket without a thirteen.
1830. Marryat, King’s Own, xxi. ‘He says that it’s two thirteens that must be paid for it.’… ‘Have you two shillings?’
