seven

[ sev-uhn ]

noun

1. a cardinal number, 6 plus 1.
2. a symbol for this number, as 7 or VII.
3. a set of this many persons or things.
4. a playing card with seven pips.
5. sevens, (used with a singular verb) fan-tan ( def 1 ).

adjective

1. amounting to seven in number.

verb phrase

1. crap ²( def 3a ).

seven

/ ˈsɛvən /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one and is a prime number See also number
2. a numeral, 7, VII, etc, representing this number
3. the amount or quantity that is one greater than six
4. anything representing, represented by, or consisting of seven units, such as a playing card with seven symbols on it
5. Also calledseven o'clock seven hours after noon or midnight

determiner

1. 1. amounting to seven

      seven swans a-swimming

   2. ( as pronoun ) hepta-septi-

      you've eaten seven already

Word History and Origins

Origin of seven¹

before 900; Middle English seoven ( e ), seofne, seven, Old English seofon; cognate with German sieben, Gothic sibun; akin to Old Irish secht, Welsh saith, Latin septem, Greek heptá, Polish siedem, Sanskrit saptá

Word History and Origins

Origin of seven¹

Old English seofon; related to Gothic sibun, German sieben, Old Norse sjau, Latin septem, Greek hepta, Sanskrit saptá

Idioms and Phrases

see at sixes and sevens ; in seventh heaven .

Example Sentences

The team employed a 24-hour setup of seven cameras recording a herd of Swedish Holstein and Swedish Red cows.

From Science Daily

In one set of tests, seven participants wore the patch during daily activities such as cycling, raising an arm or leg, performing mental arithmetic, meditating, eating meals and consuming energy drinks.

From Science Daily

The international clinical trial involved nearly 300 people across seven countries in Africa, North and South America.

From Science Daily

Platform outage monitor Downdetector had received more than seven thousand reports from users as of 12:12 GMT.

From BBC

The grants from Children In Need began seven months later, when the charity had new management in place.

From BBC