twenty

twenty · numeral, noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*twaintigiwiz
2. Old English · inherited fromtwēntiġ“twenty”
3. Middle English · inherited fromtwenty
4. English todaytwenty

From Middle English twenty, twenti, from Old English twēntiġ (“twenty”, literally “two tens”), from Proto-Germanic *twaintigiwiz, *twai tigiwiz, an old compound of *twain- (“two”) + *-tigaz (“group of ten”), equivalent to two + -ty, or twain + -ty. Cognate with Scots twenty, tuenty (“twenty”), West Frisian tweintich (“twenty”), Dutch twintig (“twenty”), German zwanzig (“twenty”), Danish tyve.

Twenty · proper noun²

Apparently named after the Twenty Foot Drain, which no longer exists.