Forty

Forty
This very old name is in fact locational and derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'forp-eg' meaning 'an island in a fen' or occasionally 'a paddock by a farm - forp-teag'. The name is found in the village names: Forty Green in Essex, the Forty in Wiltshire and Forty Hill, Middlesex. The name development has included Thomas de la Fortheye (c. 1325 Worcester), John atte Fortheye (1297 Berkshire) and John de la Fortye (1318 Berkshire). John Forten (as spelt) was an early settler to New England in 1635 he was aged fourteen. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Forteye which was dated 1275 in the Pipe Rolls of Worcester. during the reign of King Edward 1 known as the Hammer of the Scots 1272-1307 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • forty — ► CARDINAL NUMBER (pl. forties) 1) ten less than fifty; 40. (Roman numeral: xl or XL.) 2) (the Forties) the central North Sea between Scotland and southern Norway, so called from its prevailing depth of forty fathoms or more. ● forty winks Cf. ↑ …   English terms dictionary

  • forty — [fôrt′ē] adj. [ME fourti < OE feowertig, akin to Ger vierzig, Goth fidwor tigjus: see FOUR & TY2] four times ten n. pl. forties the cardinal number between thirty nine and forty one; 40; XL the forties the numbers or years, as of a century,… …   English World dictionary

  • Forty — For ty, n.; pl. {Forties} ( t[i^]z). 1. The sum of four tens; forty units or objects. [1913 Webster] 2. A symbol expressing forty units; as, 40, or xl. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forty — O.E. feowertig, from feower four (see FOUR (Cf. four)) + tig group of ten (see TY (Cf. ty) (1)). Cf. O.S. fiwartig, O.Fris. fiuwertich, Du. veertig, O.H.G. fiorzug, Ger. vierzig, O.N …   Etymology dictionary

  • Forty — For ty (f[^o]r t[y^]), a. [OE. forti, fourti, fowerti, AS. fe[ o]wertig; fe[ o]wer four + suff. tig ten; akin to OS. fiwartig, fiartig, D. veertig, G. vierzig, Icel. fj[ o]rut[=i]u, Sw. fyratio, Dan. fyrretyve, Goth. fidw[=o]r tigjus. See {Four} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forty — n. & adj. n. (pl. ies) 1 the product of four and ten. 2 a symbol for this (40, xl, XL). 3 (in pl.) the numbers from 40 to 49, esp. the years of a century or of a person s life. 4 (the Forties) Brit. the sea area between the NE coast of Scotland… …   Useful english dictionary

  • forty — I. /ˈfɔti / (say fawtee) noun (plural forties) 1. a cardinal number, ten times four. 2. a symbol for this number, as 40 or XL or XXXX. 3. (plural) the numbers from 40 to 49 of a series, usually with reference to the years of a person s age, or… …  

  • forty — see a fool at forty is a fool indeed life begins at forty Saint Swithun’s day, if thou be fair, for forty days it will remain; Saint Swithun’s day, if thou bring rain, for forty days it will remain …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • forty — noun (plural forties) Etymology: Middle English fourty, adjective, from Old English fēowertig, from fēowertig group of 40, from fēower four + tig group of 10; akin to Old English tīen ten Date: before 12th century 1. see number table 2. plural… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • forty — cardinal number (plural forties) 1》 the number equivalent to the product of four and ten; ten less than fifty; 40. (Roman numeral: xl or XL.) 2》 (the Forties) the central North Sea between Scotland and southern Norway, so called from its… …   English new terms dictionary

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