Fourscore: meaning, definitions and examples
📜
fourscore
[ ˈfɔːrˌskɔːr ]
historical context
Fourscore is an archaic term that refers to the number eighty. It originates from the Old English word 'score', which means twenty, therefore 'fourscore' is derived from multiplying four by twenty. The term is often used in historical, literary, or rhetorical contexts, notably featured in speeches and writings. It provides a poetic and formal way to represent the number eighty, evoking a sense of antiquity or grandiosity.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- Fourscore years ago.
- He was fourscore and ten.
- The army numbered fourscore men.
Translations
Translations of the word "fourscore" in other languages:
🇵🇹 quatro vezes vinte
🇮🇳 चार गुना बीस
🇩🇪 vier mal zwanzig
🇮🇩 empat kali dua puluh
🇺🇦 чотири рази двадцять
🇵🇱 cztery razy dwadzieścia
🇯🇵 四倍の二十
🇫🇷 quatre fois vingt
🇪🇸 cuatro veces veinte
🇹🇷 dört kere yirmi
🇰🇷 네 번의 이십
🇸🇦 أربعة أضعاف عشرين
🇨🇿 čtyřikrát dvacet
🇸🇰 štyrikrát dvadsať
🇨🇳 四倍二十
🇸🇮 štirikrat dvajset
🇮🇸 fjórum sinnum tuttugu
🇰🇿 төрт еселенген жиырма
🇬🇪 ოთხჯერ ოცდაათი
🇦🇿 dörd dəfə iyirmi
🇲🇽 cuatro veces veinte
Etymology
The word 'fourscore' dates back to Old English and is a compound of two elements: 'four' and 'score', where 'score' means twenty. This usage has its roots in a time when counting and numbering often involved the use of 'score' as a base unit, primarily for convenience in dealing with larger numbers. Notably, 'fourscore' was famously employed by President Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address, 'Four score and seven years ago...', which has contributed to its historical resonance and recognition in the English language. While the term is now considered archaic and rarely used in everyday conversation, it persists in literary and rhetorical contexts as a way to invoke a sense of time or to bestow gravity upon discussions of history and age. The evolution of this term reflects broader changes in language use, where numerical expressions have become more simplified and less poetic.