fourth-quarter
Meaning
relating to or occurring in the last three months of a calendar or fiscal year
the final period of a game or contest, especially in sports like basketball or american football
Structure
Usage
the company's fourth-quarter earnings exceeded market expectations.
the home team staged a remarkable comeback in the fourth quarter.
investors are closely watching the fourth-quarter financial reports.
Etymology
the compound term 'fourth-quarter' is a modern english formation that logically combines two concepts of division into four parts. 'fourth', derived from the proto-germanic root for the number four, specifies the final ordinal position in a sequence. 'quarter', with its origins in the latin term for a fourth part, denotes a segment resulting from a quadripartite division. when combined, the term precisely signifies the last of four sequential periods, a concept applied to both temporal divisions of a year and phases within a sporting event. this illustrates how english builds specific, compound terminology by transparently combining numerical and divisional morphemes.
Analysis
'fourth' originates from old english 'feorþa', related to 'feower' (four), indicating the ordinal position. 'quarter' originates from latin 'quartarius' (a fourth part), via old french 'quartier', denoting one of four equal divisions.