forty-eight
UK[ˈfɔːti eɪt]US[ˈfɔːrti eɪt]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of four and twelve; one more than forty-seven; 48.
Morpheme Breakdown
forty
eight
forty
eight
Etymology
the word "forty-eight" is a compound numeral formed within english from its native germanic number system. the first element, "forty," descends from old english "feowertig," a compound itself meaning "four tens," related to the proto-germanic "fedwōr tigiwiz." the second element, "eight," comes from old english "eahta," from proto-germanic "ahtōu," ultimately from proto-indo-European "oḱtṓw." the logic of the compound is purely additive, representing the sum of forty and eight. this transparent compounding method is characteristic of the english numbering system for values above twenty.
Analysis
Structure: forty + eight
forty (from old english 'feowertig', meaning four tens, of germanic origin), eight (from old english 'eahta', of germanic origin, meaning the number 8).
Examples
the classic film "the 48 hours" is a famous action-comedy.
she scored forty-eight points in the basketball game, a personal best.
the project must be completed within forty-eight hours.