Where does “Fourth” come from?
Fourth (English) comes from Middle English fourthe, from Middle English ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, from Proto-West Germanic feurþō, from Proto-Germanic fedurþô — fourth.
Ancestry of “Fourth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | fourthe | Alternative form of ferthe |
| 2 | Middle English | ferthe | fourth; One of four equal parts of a whole; a... |
| 3 | Old English | fēorþa | fourth |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | feurþō | fourth |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fedurþô | fourth |