FORTY
What does "FORTY" mean?
The number equal to four times ten; 40.
Meanings
- The cardinal number 40. She blew out forty candles without a single one left lit.
- Amounting to forty in number. The recipe called for forty cloves of garlic.
Did you know?
- Forty is the only number whose name has its letters in alphabetical order - F, O, R, T, Y - a quirk no other number word shares.
Word origin
From Old English 'feowertig', combining 'feower' (four) and '-tig' (group of ten); the modern spelling dropped the 'u' of 'four', unlike 'fourteen' and 'forty's' cousin 'fourth'.
Remember it
FORTY drops the U that FOUR has - remember: there is no 'u' in forty, even though four has one.
A little poem
Forty candles lit-
halfway, they say, but to where?
The cake doesn't know.
haiku
Wordplay
- Why is forty the most honest number? Its letters refuse to step out of line - F, O, R, T, Y, all in order.
What it teaches
Forty drops the 'u' that four insists on; even numbers learn to travel lighter as they grow.
Quick facts
What does FORTY mean?
The number equal to four times ten; 40.
Is FORTY a valid word?
Yes — FORTY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is FORTY?
FORTY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does FORTY come from?
From Old English 'feowertig', combining 'feower' (four) and '-tig' (group of ten); the modern spelling dropped the 'u' of 'four', unlike 'fourteen' and 'forty's' cousin 'fourth'.
What can FORTY teach us?
Forty drops the 'u' that four insists on; even numbers learn to travel lighter as they grow.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.