definitions
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fortieth

[ fawr-tee-ith ]
/ ˈfɔr ti ɪθ /
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adjective

next after the thirty-ninth; being the ordinal number for 40.
being one of 40 equal parts.

noun

a fortieth part, especially of one (1/40).
the fortieth member of a series.

Nearby words

forth, forthcoming, forthright, forthwith, forties, fortieth, fortification, fortification agate, fortified pa, fortified wine, fortify

Origin of fortieth

before 1100; Middle English fourtithe, Old English fēowertigotha. See forty, -eth2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fortieth

British Dictionary definitions for fortieth

fortieth

/ (ˈfɔːtɪɪθ) /

adjective

  1. being the ordinal number of forty in numbering or counting order, position, time, etc. Often written: 40th
  2. (as noun)he was the fortieth

noun

  1. one of 40 approximately equal parts of something
  2. (as modifier)a fortieth part
the fraction equal to one divided by 40 (1/40)

Word Origin for fortieth

Old English fēowertigotha
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fortieth

fortieth

adj.

Old English feowertigoða, from feowertig (see forty) + -th (1). Cf. Old Norse fertugonde, Swedish fyrationde, Danish fyrretyvende.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper