forty-one
UK[ˈfɔːti ˈwʌn]US[ˈfɔːrti ˈwʌn]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of four and ten plus one; one more than forty; 41.
Morpheme Breakdown
forty
one
forty
40
one
1
Etymology
the word 'forty-one' is a transparent compound of two old english numeral roots. 'forty' descends from old english 'feowertig', a compound of 'feower' (four) and '-tig' (a decade group), literally meaning "four tens." the spelling evolution saw the 'u' of 'four' dropped. 'one' comes from old english 'ān', related to the proto-germanic 'ainaz' and ultimately the proto-indo-European 'óynos', signifying a single unit. the combination 'forty-one' follows the standard english pattern for forming numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine, where the tens unit is joined with a hyphen to the digit one, creating a clear and logical additive meaning.
Analysis
Structure: forty (40) + one (1)
forty: from old english 'feowertig', meaning four tens. the modern form 'forty' is a result of the loss of the 'u' in 'four' and the contraction of the old english suffix '-tig' (meaning group of ten).
one: from old english 'ān', meaning a single unit or thing. it is a common germanic numeral.
Examples
she scored forty-one points in the basketball game.
the recipe requires forty-one grams of sugar.
he celebrated his forty-first birthday last week.