Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The ordinal number matching the number 40 in a series.
  • noun One of 40 equal parts.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Next after the thirty-ninth: an ordinal numeral.
  • noun The quotient of unity divided by forty; one of forty equal parts into which something is divided.
  • noun In early English law, one fortieth part of the rents of the year, or of movables, or both, granted or levied by way of tax.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Following the thirty-ninth, or preceded by thirty-nine units, things, or parts.
  • adjective Constituting one of forty equal parts into which anything is divided.
  • noun One of forty equal parts into which one whole is divided; the quotient of a unit divided by forty; one next in order after the thirty-ninth.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective The ordinal form of the number forty.
  • noun The person or thing in the fortieth position.
  • noun One of forty equal parts of a whole.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective the ordinal number of forty in counting order
  • noun position 40 in a countable series of things

Etymologies

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Examples

  • "This is the measure of the Truma" (or, of the oblation yielded to the priests), A good eye yieldeth one out of forty; that is, the fortieth part.

    From the Talmud and Hebraica 1602-1675 1979

  • But the feast then had no proper name; it was simply called the fortieth day after Epiphany.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 3: Brownson-Clairvaux 1840-1916 1913

  • This same year, that is to say the fortieth year after the passion of our

    The Golden Legend, vol. 3 1230-1298 1900

  • Sweden is ranked fortieth, which is still in the upper quartile of countries.

    Voice For Liberty in Wichita Bob Weeks 2010

  • ; Italian as quaresima; and Spanishas cuaresma, these all deriving from the Latin quadragesima, meaning 'fortieth'.

    CathNews 2010

  • ; Italian as quaresima; and Spanishas cuaresma, these all deriving from the Latin quadragesima, meaning 'fortieth'.

    CathNews 2010

  • "fortieth," that landing on the fourth storey where man discovers and picks up the magic key which opens life to its recesses, and reveals its monotonous and deceptive labyrinth; conscious, moreover, of his value, of the importance of his mission, and of the great name he bore, he cared nothing for the opinion of such persons as these.

    Tartarin On The Alps Alphonse Daudet 1868

  • It seemed to me her fortieth birthday must be approaching.

    The Bird House Kelly Simmons 2011

  • He dredged it up again as an issue in 2004 when he voted against a symbolic resolution honoring the law on its fortieth anniversary.

    Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Paul's Fetish on Civil Rights Earl Ofari Hutchinson 2012

  • He dredged it up again as an issue in 2004 when he voted against a symbolic resolution honoring the law on its fortieth anniversary.

    Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Paul's Fetish on Civil Rights Earl Ofari Hutchinson 2012

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