vierzig

Vierzig is the German word for the cardinal number forty. It is used in counting and as the base for larger numbers, appearing in everyday language to express quantities or ages, such as vierzig Dinge or vierzig Jahre alt.

Orthography and pronunciation: In standard German, vierzig is written in lowercase and is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence. The pronunciation is roughly [ˈfiːɐ̯t͡sɪç].

Formation and meaning: The word is formed from vier (four) plus the suffix -zig, a Germanic element that marks tens. Thus vierzig literally conveys the idea of four tens. German numbers from 21 to 99 typically combine units and tens in a similar fashion, with forty serving as the base for compound forms like einundvierzig (41) and zweiundvierzig (42).

Usage in language: As an adjective or numeral, vierzig is used to denote the value 40. When used to refer to a decade, the form differs: in den Vierzigern means “in the forties.” When expressed as age, vierzig Jahre alt means “forty years old.” The term also appears in contexts such as dates, measurements, or statistics where forty is the relevant quantity.

See also: In German, the English equivalent is forty. The Dutch counterpart is veertig, which is a distinct word in another language.

Notes: Vierzig is distinct from proper nouns or other meanings; in formal writing, it functions as a standard numeral and is not treated as a noun unless used in a noun form like die Vierziger for people in their forties.