Editing Ordinal indicator (section)

==Origins <span class="anchor" id="Latin"></span>==
The practice of indicating ordinals with superscript suffixes may originate with the practice of writing a superscript ''o'' to indicate a [[Ablative (Latin)|Latin ablative]] in pre-modern [[Scribal abbreviation|scribal practice]]. This ablative [[wikt:desinence|desinence]] happened to be frequently combined with ordinal numerals indicating dates (as in {{lang|la|tertio die}} [written ''{{lang|la|iii<sup>o</sup> die}}''] "on the third day" or in [[Anno Domini]] years, as in {{lang|la|anno millesimo [...] ab incarnatione domini nostri Iesu Christi}} [written {{char|an ͂ M<sup>o</sup> [...] dm ͂i nri ih ͂u xp ͂i}} or similarly] "in the thousandth [...] year after the incarnation of our lord Jesus Christ").{{cn|date=May 2020}}

The usage of terminals in the [[vernacular]] languages of Europe derives from Latin usage, as practised by scribes in monasteries and [[Chancery (medieval office)|chanceries]] before writing in the vernacular became established. The terminal letters used depend on the gender of the item to be ordered and the case in which the ordinal adjective is stated, for example ''{{lang|la|primus dies}}'' ('the first day', nominative case, masculine), but ''{{lang|la|primo die}}'' ('on the first day', ablative case masculine), shown as I<sup>o</sup> or i<sup>o</sup>. As monumental inscriptions often refer to days on which events happened (e.g., "he died on the tenth of June"), the ablative case is generally used: X<sup>o</sup> (''{{lang|la|decimo}}'') with the month stated in the genitive case. Examples:<ref>Kennedy's Shorter Latin Primer, 1992, London, pp.28-9</ref>
*I<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|(primo) die Julii}}'' "on the first day of July"
*X<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|decimo}}''
*XX<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|vicensimo}}''
*L<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|quinquagesimo}}''
*C<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|centesimo}}''
*M<sup>o</sup> ''{{lang|la|millesimo}}''