forty-two
UK[ˈfɔːti ˈtuː]US[ˈfɔːrti ˈtuː]
cardinal number
the number equivalent to the product of six and seven; one more than forty-one; 42.
Morpheme Breakdown
forty
two
forty
four tens
two
Etymology
the word "forty-two" is a compound numeral formed from the old english words for "forty" and "two". "forty" itself derives from old english "feowertig", a compound of "feower" (four) and "tig" (a group of ten), thus literally meaning "four tens". the word "two" originates from proto-germanic "twai", which has cognates across indo-european languages, including latin "duo" and greek "dyo". the modern compound follows the standard english pattern for forming numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine, combining a multiple of ten with a unit number via a hyphen. this system creates a highly regular and logical method for expressing quantities.
Analysis
Structure: forty + two
forty: from old english "feowertig", meaning "four tens". its functional role is to denote the quantity of four tens.
two: from old english "twā", meaning the numeral 2. its functional role is to specify the additional units beyond the tens.
Examples
she answered exactly forty-two questions on the test.
the famous book "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" proposes forty-two as the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.
the temperature reached a record high of forty-two degrees celsius.