fifth

IPA/fɪfθ/
KK[fˈɪfθ]IPA/fɪfθ/

fifth — ordinal number

1. the word for the number 5 in a series, showing the position or order of somethin

1.ordinal numberA1
Definition

the word for the number 5 in a series, showing the position or order of something — for example, the fifth floor of a building, the fifth chapter of a book, or the fifth of March.

Example

The meeting is on the fifth of March, so please mark your calendar.

attribution | uses 'the fifth of' with dates

Joon lives on the fifth floor of an old apartment building in Taipei.

ordinal + noun: the fifth floor

Common collocations
  • fifth floor
  • fifth chapter
  • fifth grade
  • fifth place
  • fifth time
  • fifth anniversary
  • fifth century

Grammar Patterns

the fifth + noun (chapter, floor, time, place)

the fifth of + month

Usage Note

Ordinal numbers like 'fifth' usually come before a noun (the fifth floor) and are preceded by 'the' when referring to a specific position. In dates, British English prefers 'the fifth of March' while American English often says 'March fifth' without 'the' or 'of.'

Common Mistakes

I live on five floor.
I live on the fifth floor.
Use an ordinal number (fifth), not a cardinal number (five), when talking about a position in a numbered order.
He was fifth place in the race.
He was in fifth place in the race.
The preposition 'in' is needed before 'fifth place.'

fifth — noun

Word family

  • five
    numberA1
  • fifthly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: ordinal number/1

While 'fifth' and 'five' both relate to the number 5, they are used in different grammatical contexts and cannot replace each other. 'Five' is a cardinal number used for counting (e.g., 'five apples,' 'five people'), whereas 'fifth' is an ordinal number used for ranking or ordering (e.g., 'the fifth apple,' 'the fifth person in line'). The written form '5th' is a common abbreviation of 'fifth' and is used mainly in informal notes, addresses, and schedules (e.g., 'Please turn to page 5th' is incorrect — use 'page 5' or 'the fifth page'). A common test: if you can replace the word with 'number 5 in the order,' use 'fifth'; if you are simply counting items, use 'five.'

fifth ↗five ↗5th

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a fifth of
  • one fifth of
  • two fifths of
  • fifth apart
  • perfect fifth
  • circle of fifths

Prepositions

  • in (fifth place)
  • on (the fifth floor)
  • of (the fifth of March)
  • at (fifth position)

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'fifth' comes from Old English 'fīfta,' which traces back to the Proto-Germanic '*fimftô' and further to the Proto-Indo-European '*penkʷetos.' It is related to the cardinal number 'five' (from Old English 'fīf'), and shares the same ancient root as Latin 'quintus' and Greek 'pemptos,' both meaning 'fifth.' The modern English spelling with '-th' follows the pattern of other ordinal numbers like 'sixth' and 'seventh.'