Fourth
/fɔːrθ/noun
Coming next after the third in a sequence or position.
Did you know?The ancient root behind “fourth” also produced Latin quattuor and Greek téssares, linking English counting words to terms such as quartet, quadruped, and tetrahedron.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷetwṓr-to-s
“An ordinal formation related to the number four; the exact reconstructed ordinal form is uncertain.”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*fedurþô
“Fourth; the ordinal corresponding to four.”
Old English
Old English
fēorða
“Fourth, the ordinal form of fēower, “four.””
Middle English
Middle English
ferthe
“Fourth; spelling and pronunciation gradually moved toward the modern form.”
Modern English
English
fourth
“Coming after the third in order, rank, or sequence.”