thirteenth

[ thur-teenth ]

adjective

1. next after the twelfth; being the ordinal number for 13.
2. being one of 13 equal parts.

noun

1. a thirteenth part, especially of one (1/13).
2. the thirteenth member of a series.

Word History and Origins

Origin of thirteenth¹

before 900; thirteen + -th ²; replacing Middle English thrittenthe ( three, tenth ), Old English thryttēotha ( tithe )

Example Sentences

Thirteenth seed Navarro - who was born in New York City - had not made it beyond the second round of a Grand Slam at the start of this year.

From BBC

It would join such other corrective amendments as the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, passed in the wake of the Civil War, both of which reversed the Supreme Court's infamous Dred Scott decision by abolishing slavery and granting citizenship to freed slaves.

From Salon

Although the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution formally abolished U.S. slavery, it includes a terrible exception: permitting slavery and involuntary servitude as “punishment for crime,” allowing governments, prisons, and the companies contracting with them to “hire” and exploit incarcerated workers as they see fit.

From Salon

The Thirteenth Amendment's loophole was first exploited during the wake of the Civil War with “Black Codes” laws enabling the arrest of Black Americans for vague offenses like “vagrancy” and forcing them into involuntary servitude.

From Salon

The United States has made momentous strides toward improving protections and conditions for workers since the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in 1865.

From Salon