forty — ► CARDINAL NUMBER (pl. forties) 1) ten less than fifty; 40. (Roman numeral: xl or XL.) 2) (the Forties) the central North Sea between Scotland and southern Norway, so called from its prevailing depth of forty fathoms or more. ● forty winks Cf. ↑ … English terms dictionary
forty — [fôrt′ē] adj. [ME fourti < OE feowertig, akin to Ger vierzig, Goth fidwor tigjus: see FOUR & TY2] four times ten n. pl. forties the cardinal number between thirty nine and forty one; 40; XL the forties the numbers or years, as of a century,… … English World dictionary
Forty — For ty, n.; pl. {Forties} ( t[i^]z). 1. The sum of four tens; forty units or objects. [1913 Webster] 2. A symbol expressing forty units; as, 40, or xl. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
forty — O.E. feowertig, from feower four (see FOUR (Cf. four)) + tig group of ten (see TY (Cf. ty) (1)). Cf. O.S. fiwartig, O.Fris. fiuwertich, Du. veertig, O.H.G. fiorzug, Ger. vierzig, O.N … Etymology dictionary
Forty — For ty (f[^o]r t[y^]), a. [OE. forti, fourti, fowerti, AS. fe[ o]wertig; fe[ o]wer four + suff. tig ten; akin to OS. fiwartig, fiartig, D. veertig, G. vierzig, Icel. fj[ o]rut[=i]u, Sw. fyratio, Dan. fyrretyve, Goth. fidw[=o]r tigjus. See {Four} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
forty — n. & adj. n. (pl. ies) 1 the product of four and ten. 2 a symbol for this (40, xl, XL). 3 (in pl.) the numbers from 40 to 49, esp. the years of a century or of a person s life. 4 (the Forties) Brit. the sea area between the NE coast of Scotland… … Useful english dictionary
forty — I. /ˈfɔti / (say fawtee) noun (plural forties) 1. a cardinal number, ten times four. 2. a symbol for this number, as 40 or XL or XXXX. 3. (plural) the numbers from 40 to 49 of a series, usually with reference to the years of a person s age, or… …
forty — see a fool at forty is a fool indeed life begins at forty Saint Swithun’s day, if thou be fair, for forty days it will remain; Saint Swithun’s day, if thou bring rain, for forty days it will remain … Proverbs new dictionary
forty — noun (plural forties) Etymology: Middle English fourty, adjective, from Old English fēowertig, from fēowertig group of 40, from fēower four + tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten Date: before 12th century 1. see number table 2. plural… … New Collegiate Dictionary
forty — cardinal number (plural forties) 1》 the number equivalent to the product of four and ten; ten less than fifty; 40. (Roman numeral: xl or XL.) 2》 (the Forties) the central North Sea between Scotland and southern Norway, so called from its… … English new terms dictionary