forty-niner

[ fawr-tee-nahy-ner ]

/ ˌfɔr tiˈnaɪ nər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forty-niner ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person, especially a prospector, who went to California in 1849 during the gold rush.

Nearby words

forty-first, forty-five, forty-four, forty-fourth, forty-nine, forty-niner, forty-niners, forty-ninth, forty-ninth parallel, forty-one, forty-second

Origin of forty-niner

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for forty-niner

There was missing old “Forty-niner,” commonly the dominant fifth of this odd quintet, but nobody wondered much at that.
Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch|Evelyn Raymond
The old "forty-niner" approached the waggon with a withering glance at the repacked cargo.
Saddle and Mocassin|Francis Francis Jr.
She was foolish to think anything harmful could have happened to “Forty-niner” so quickly after she had run away from him.
Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch|Evelyn Raymond
His rest was the Forty-niner's arm, as mine is the sportsman's hand.
Frontier Ballads|Joseph Mills Hanson

“Man proposes, God disposes,” quoted “Forty-niner,” with all the emphasis of an original philosophy.
Jessica Trent: Her Life on a Ranch|Evelyn Raymond

British Dictionary definitions for forty-niner

forty-niner

noun

(sometimes capital) US history a prospector who took part in the California gold rush of 1849

49er a type of dinghy, designed to be crewed by two people

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

forty-niner

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of forty-niner

Examples from the Web for forty-niner

British Dictionary definitions for forty-niner

forty-niner

noun