Etymology

thirteenth reason

Today it means: A relatively minor annoyance or inconvenience, jokingly implied to be the "last straw" that will motivate someone to commit suicide. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

Originally from the best-selling novel Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) by Jay Asher and popularized by the television adaptation 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020). The plot of the novel and series follows high school student Hannah Baker who kills herself and leaves a box of cassette tapes detailing thirteen reasons for taking her own life.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.