ferthe
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô; equivalent to and often remodelled after fower + -th.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɛːrθ(ə)/, /ˈfɛrθ(ə)/, /ˈfiu̯rθ(ə)/, /ˈfɔu̯rθ(ə)/, /ˈfɔu̯rt(ə)/
Adjective
ferthe
- fourth
- a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Apocalips 4:7”, in Wycliffe's Bible:
- And the firſte beeſte lijk a lyoun; and the ſecounde beeſte lijk a calf; and the thridde beeſte hauynge a face as of a man; and the fourthe beeſte lijk an egle fleynge.
- And the first beast [was] like a lion; and the second beast [was] like a calf; and the third beast had a face like a person; and the fourth beast [was] like an eagle flying.
- a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Wife of Bath's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, line 451-452:
- Swiche manere wordes hadde we on honde / Now wol I ſpeken of my fourthe houſbonde.
- Those kinds of words we had on hand / Now I'll speak of my fourth husband.
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References
- “fẹ̄rthe (num.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-17.
Noun
ferthe
- One of four equal parts of a whole; a fourth.
References
- “fẹ̄rthe (num.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-17.
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