DictionaryAI

fortieth

FOR-tee-uhth/ˈfɔɹ.ti.əθ/UKFAW-tee-uhth/ˈfɔː.ti.əθ/

Noun pluralfortieths

3 meanings of fortieth

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Coming at position number forty in a sequence; the ordinal that corresponds to the number forty.

    The company celebrated its fortieth year in business with a big party.

    She was reading the fortieth chapter when the power went out.

  2. 2
    nouncountable
    The person or thing occupying position number forty in a sequence.

    Out of hundreds of runners, she finished as the fortieth across the line.

    His application was the fortieth received, so he expected a long wait.

  3. 3
    nouncountable
    Any one of forty equal parts into which a whole is divided.

    The estate was split so finely that each heir received only a fortieth of it.

    One fortieth of a meter is just under an inch.

Practice

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Origin

From an earlier form "fourteth", from Middle English "fourtithe", "fourtiþe"; equivalent to "forty" plus the suffix "-eth".