fjórða

Fjórða is the Icelandic word for "the fourth" and functions as an ordinal numeral in the language. It is used to indicate position or order in a sequence, such as chapters, steps, or items in a list. In Icelandic grammar ordinal numerals decline like adjectives and must agree with the noun they modify in gender and case. For example, fjórða bók means "the fourth book," with the feminine singular noun bók modifying the ordinal form. Other genders and cases require different endings for the ordinal numeral.

The word is used in ordinary speech and writing to denote order in dates, rankings, and sequences. In longer phrases, fjórða forms can appear in compound expressions such as "fjórða áratugnum" (the fourth decade) or "fjórða daginn" in context-appropriate constructions. The root fjór- is shared with the cardinal four (fjórir/fjórar/fjögur), and the ordinal forms derive from that base.

Etymology and history: The Icelandic word fjórða originates from the same historical root as the number four in the language family and has cognates in related Scandinavian languages. The evolution of its inflected endings reflects general Icelandic adjective and numeral declension patterns.

See also: Icelandic numerals, ordinals, grammar of numerals.