Sixties

How to spell sixties

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sixties

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sixties mean?

1. nounThe decade running from a year ending in 60 to one ending in 69, especially the 1960s.
2. nounThe range of ages, temperatures, or numbers from sixty to sixty-nine.

Sixties in a sentence

• The band first became famous in the sixties, when their records topped the charts.

• Both of his grandparents are now in their sixties and still working part time.

• This style of furniture was hugely popular throughout the sixties.

• The afternoon temperature climbed into the sixties for the first time this spring.

Where does sixties come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built from the native Old English roots that English has used for counting since before the Norman Conquest. The base 'six' descends from Old English 'siex' or 'six', which traces back to the Proto-Germanic 'sehs' and ultimately to the same ancient root that gave Latin 'sex' and Greek 'hex', both also meaning six. Adding the suffix '-ty', from Old English '-tig' meaning a group of ten, produced 'sixty', literally six tens. The plural form 'sixties' developed naturally to name a range, such as a person's ages from sixty to sixty-nine or the years of a decade like the 1960s. The spelling trap lies in the ending: because the singular 'sixty' ends in a consonant plus 'y', the 'y' changes to 'i' before adding '-es', giving 'sixties' rather than 'sixtys'.

How the word is built

• six (the number 6)
• -ty (multiple of ten)
• -es (plural)