forty-nine
UK[ˈfɔːti naɪn]US[ˈfɔːrti naɪn]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of seven and seven; one more than forty-eight, or nine less than fifty; 49.
Morpheme Breakdown
forty
nine
forty
40
nine
9
Etymology
the word "forty-nine" is a transparent compound formed from the cardinal numbers "forty" and "nine". "forty" itself originates from old english "féowertig", a compound of "féower" (four) and "tig" (a group of ten), literally meaning "four tens". "nine" derives from old english "nigon", from proto-germanic "newun", which in turn traces back to the proto-indo-European root "h₁néwn̥". the modern compound follows the standard english pattern for forming numbers between 21 and 99, where a tens-multiple is joined with a unit digit by a hyphen, creating a clear and logical additive meaning.
Analysis
Structure: forty (40) + nine (9)
forty: from old english 'féowertig', meaning "four tens". its functional role is to denote the cardinal number 40.
nine: from old english 'nigon', meaning the cardinal number 9. its functional role is to denote the cardinal number 9, added to the base of forty.
Examples
he scored forty-nine points in the basketball game.
the recipe requires forty-nine grams of sugar.
she has collected forty-nine different species of butterflies.