forty-seven
UK[ˈfɔːti ˈsevən]US[ˈfɔːrti ˈsevən]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of seven and seven; one more than forty-eight, or three less than fifty; 47.
Morpheme Breakdown
forty
seven
forty
four tens
seven
Etymology
the word "forty-seven" is a compound numeral formed within the english language from its old english ancestors. "forty" derives from old english "feowertig", a compound of "feower" (four) and "tig" (a group of ten), thus literally meaning "four tens". "seven" originates from the old english "seofon", which has proto-germanic and ultimately proto-indo-european roots related to the number. the compound follows the standard germanic pattern of naming numbers by stating the tens value followed by the units value, creating a transparent and logical system for representing the quantity 47.
Analysis
Structure: forty + seven
forty: from old english "feowertig", meaning "four tens". its functional role is to denote the quantity of four tens.
seven: from old english "seofon", meaning the cardinal number 7. its functional role is to denote the quantity of seven units.
Examples
she scored forty-seven points in the basketball game.
the recipe requires forty-seven grams of sugar.
he has collected forty-seven different species of butterflies.