# fourth

Pronunciation: say "FORTH" US /fɔɹθ/, UK /fɔːθ/

## Adjective

1. Coming after the third in a series; the ordinal form of the number four.
   - Simple: Coming after third in order or position.
   - _The fourth chapter introduces the main conflict of the novel._
   - _Their fourth attempt finally succeeded after three earlier failures._

## Noun

2. Whoever or whatever holds the position right after the third in a sequence or ranking.
   - Simple: The one that comes after the third in a group or order.
   - _The first three speakers were dull, but the fourth woke the audience up._
   - _Of the eight finalists, the fourth to perform drew the loudest cheers of the night._
3. Short for the Fourth of July, the US national holiday marking the country's independence; usually with the. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: Short for the Fourth of July, the holiday when the US celebrates becoming its own country.
   - _Half the office takes the whole week off around the Fourth._
   - _My uncle has hosted the family barbecue on the Fourth for twenty years._
4. Any of the four equal parts into which something can be divided. *(US)*
   - Simple: One of four equal parts of something.
   - _Mix in a fourth of the flour, then add the eggs._
   - _He owns a fourth of the company along with three partners._
5. The fourth gear in a transmission or gearbox, one gear above third.
   - Simple: A vehicle's gear that comes after third, usually used for higher speeds.
   - _He dropped from fourth into third to climb the hill._
   - _Once on the open road, she shifted up into fourth and relaxed._
6. A musical interval spanning four degrees of the diatonic scale, such as C to F.
   - Simple: In music, the distance from one note to the fourth note of the scale, counting the first, like C to F.
   - _The melody leaps up a fourth before settling back down._
   - _He tuned the strings a fourth apart._

## Verb

7. To voice agreement with a proposal that three people have already supported in turn. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To be the fourth person to agree with an idea, after three others already have.
   - _Three people had already backed the pizza order, so I raised my hand and said I'd fourth it._
   - _Once the idea was thirded, a colleague jumped in to fourth it._

## Noun

8. A unit equal to one sixtieth of a third (or tierce), used in the old system of dividing degrees and hours into sixtieths. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A tiny unit of time or angle equal to one sixtieth of a third.

## Origin

Fourth comes from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (influenced by 'four') of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, going back to Proto-Germanic. It is essentially 'four' plus the ordinal suffix '-th', with cognates such as Dutch vierde, German vierte, Danish fjerde, and Icelandic fjórði.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fourth (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).