fourth
/fɔɹθ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.83 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
The ordinal form of the number four.
noun
The person or thing in the fourth position.
noun
The fourth gear of an engine.
noun
A musical interval which spans four degrees of the diatonic scale, for example C to F (C D E F).
Example Sentences
- "The fourth model is called the enlightment model: Actors are seen to be responsible for problems but unable or unwilling to provide solutions. They are believed to need discipline provided by authoritative guidance. The Alcoholic Anonymous^([sic]) groups are considered prototypical for this model."
- "Finnley is the fourth daughter of Jason and Kylie Kelce, having already welcomed Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett to the family."
- "We are one F and two M's seeking the company of a fourth (M or F) for our spacious and friendly Somerville apt."
- "Now I've heard there was a secret chord / That David played, and it pleased the Lord / But you don't really care for music, do ya? / It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth"
- "[…] thirds (sixtieths of seconds), fourths (sixtieths of thirds) and so on, but then it becomes very cumbersome."
- "If he remembered rightly what took place in the House on the first night of the session, the Attorney General would have to file an information, not only against the noble Lord who proposed the address, and the hon. Member for London who seconded it, but also against the hon. Member who thirded, and the noble Lord who fourthed it, and indeed against every Member in the House."
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (due to four) of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-West Germanic *feurþō, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô, equivalent to four + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognates Compare West Frisian fjirde, Saterland Frisian fjädde, fjoode, Dutch vierde, German Low German feerde, feerd, German vierte, Danish fjerde, Icelandic fjórði.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: fourthe, fēorþa, *feurþō, *fedurþô
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fɔɹθ/
- British English: /fɔːθ/