• @Beryl
    link
    English
    17
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    It supposedly comes from originaly counting in base 20 ( a.k.a : vigesimal system) in some proto-european language. There are traces of it in breton, albanese, basque and danish for example. Even in english, there is a reminiscence of vigesimal, in the “score”, see for example Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address which famously starts with : “Fourscore and seven years ago…”, meaning 87 years ago.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      7
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      As a frenchman who always found quatre-vingt weird but never bothered to find out why, thanks :)

      • @Beryl
        link
        English
        37 months ago

        Mais je t’en prie :)

    • @perviouslyiner
      link
      English
      17 months ago

      In English is this why we say fifteen instead of tentyfive?