Quadraginta

Quadraginta is the Latin word for the number forty. It is used as a cardinal numeral in Classical Latin and continues to appear in Latin texts of later periods. In Roman numerals, the quantity forty is written as XL, while quadraginta remains the spelled-out form in Latin.

Etymology and form: Quadraginta belongs to a family of Latin numerals formed with a suffix that denotes tens, alongside viginti (twenty) and triginta (thirty). It derives from quattuor, meaning four, combined with the tens-forming element. The classic spelling is often shown as quadrāgintā in scholarly editions, but quadraginta without diacritics is common in many texts.

Usage and context: As a numeral, quadraginta can modify a noun (quadraginta annos, “forty years”) or be used as a noun to refer to the number itself. The form also appears in various Latin-derived terms in English, most notably quadragenarian, which describes someone in their forties. The numeral likewise appears in historical, legal, and scholarly contexts where precise numbers are cited in Latin.

Legacy and related terms: The quadragint- element has influenced certain English derivatives and is encountered in discussions of age ranges or historical dating where Latin numerals are cited. While modern usage tends to favor native language forms, quadraginta retains a place in philological and classical Latin studies as the conventional spelling for forty.