fortieth
Noun pluralfortieths
Pluralfortieths
- 1Coming right after the thirty-ninth in a counted order.
Like being number 40 when everyone lines up in order.
Today marks her fortieth birthday.
His car crossed the line in fortieth place after a long race.
- 2The one that comes at number forty in a counted order.
Like the fortieth person in a long line waiting for tickets.
She was the fortieth to reach the top of the hill that day.
On the waiting list, he was the fortieth and nearly gave up hope.
- 3One of forty equal parts of something.
Like cutting a pizza into forty equal pieces and taking just one.
Each winner took home a fortieth of the total prize money.
A single thin slice was about a fortieth of the huge cake.
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Origin
It comes from Middle English and is made from "forty" plus the ending "-eth".