English
fourth
Fourth comes from Old English fēorþa, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô ‘fourth’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwr̥tós ‘fourth’, from *kʷetwóres ‘four’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóres‘four’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwr̥tós‘fourth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþô‘fourth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feurþō‘fourth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fēorþa‘fourth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferthe
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500fourthe
- Englishearliest quotation 1830fourth
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwóres‘four’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwr̥tós‘fourth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fedurþô‘fourth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*feurþō‘fourth’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150fēorþa‘fourth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ferthe
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500fourthe
- Englishearliest quotation 1830fourth
Earliest quotation: 1830, Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates, London: “If he remembered rightly what took place in the…”
Formed from four + -th
Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr ‘four’
Proto-Germanic *fedwōr ‘four’
Proto-West Germanic *feuwar ‘four’
Old English fēower ‘four’
Middle English four
English four
The story
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).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres ‘four’
quarry, cater, kern, quatre, carillon, quire, cuatro, tetrad, quatrain, 18 more
through Old English fēorþa
Today it means
adj The ordinal form of the number four.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres / fourth