Adjacent Words

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOUR, a. [L. petoritum, petorritum, a carriage with four wheels, petor-rota.]
Twice two; denoting the sum or two and two.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: being one more than three [syn: four, 4, iv] n
1: the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one [syn: four, 4, IV, tetrad, quatern, quaternion, quaternary, quaternity, quartet, quadruplet, foursome, Little Joe]
2: a playing card or domino or die whose upward face shows four pips [syn: four-spot, four]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from four adjective, from Old English f?ower; akin to Old High German fior four, Latin quattuor, Greek tessares, tettares Date: before 12th century 1. — see number table 2. the fourth in a set or series <the four of hearts> 3. something having four units or members: as a. a 4-oared racing shell or its crew b. a 4-cylinder engine or automobile • four adjective • four pronoun, plural in construction

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 one more than three, or six less than ten; the product of two units and two units. 2 a symbol for this (4, iv, IV, rarely iiii, IIII). 3 a size etc. denoted by four. 4 a four-oared rowing-boat or its crew. 5 the time of four o'clock (is it four yet?). 6 a card with four pips. 7 a hit at cricket scoring four runs. --adj. that amount to four. Phrases and idioms: four-eyes sl. a person wearing glasses. four-flush US Cards a poker hand of little value, having four cards of the same suit and one of another. four-flusher US a bluffer or humbug. four hundred US the social élite of a community. four-in-hand 1 a vehicle with four horses driven by one person. 2 US a necktie worn with a knot and two hanging ends superposed. four-leaf (or -leaved) clover a clover leaf with four leaflets thought to bring good luck. four-letter word any of several short words referring to sexual or excretory functions, regarded as coarse or offensive. four o'clock = marvel of Peru. four-part Mus. arranged for four voices to sing or instruments to play. four-poster a bed with a post at each corner supporting a canopy. four-square adj. 1 solidly based. 2 steady, resolute; forthright. 3 square-shaped. --adv. steadily, resolutely. four-stroke (of an internal-combustion engine) having a cycle of four strokes (intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust). four-wheel drive drive acting on all four wheels of a vehicle. on all fours on hands and knees. Etymology: OE feower f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Four Four, n. 1. The sum of four units; four units or objects. 2. A symbol representing four units, as 4 or iv. 3. Four things of the same kind, esp. four horses; as, a chariot and four. All fours. See All fours, in the Vocabulary.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Four Four, a. [OE. four, fower, feower, AS. fe['o]wer; akin to OS. fiwar, D. & G. vier, OHG. fior, Icel. fj?rir, Sw. fyra, Dan. fire, Goth. fidw?r, Russ. chetuire, chetvero, W. pedwar, L. quatuor, Gr. ?, ?, ?, Skr. catur. ? 302. Cf. Farthing, Firkin, Forty, Cater four, Quater-cousin, Quatuor, Quire of paper, tetrarch.] One more than three; twice two.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fours) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Four is the number 4. Judith is married with four children. NUM 2. If you are on all fours, your knees, feet, and hands are on the ground. She crawled on all fours over to the window. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

(1) It indicates completeness. We have the four rivers of Paradise (Ge 2:10); the four winds of heaven (Eze 37:9; Da 7:2; 8:8; 11:4; Zec 6:5, the Revised Version, margin "spirits"; /APC 2Esdras 13:5); "the four winds" (Mt 24:31; Mr 13:27); "the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12; Re 7:1; 20:8, the King James Version "quarters"); "the four corners of the house" (Job 1:19); Jephthah's daughter was bewailed four days a year (Jud 11:40); "four cities" are several times mentioned in Jos in the allotment of inheritances (19:7; 21:18, etc.); Nehemiah's enemies sent to him "four times" (Ne 6:4); "four kinds" (the Revised Version, margin "families" of destroyers were threatened, Jer 15:3); Yahweh's "four sore judgments" (Eze 14:21); "four generations" were seen by Job ( Job 42:16).

(2) "Four" is frequent in prophetic visions: Daniel saw "four .... beasts" arise, representing four kings (7:3,17); "four notable horns" ( Dan 8:8,22; compare /APC 2Esdras 11:39); "four gates" ( /APC 2Esdras 3:19; four wings, 12:2 the King James Version); "four horns" were seen by Zechariah, as the powers that had scattered Israel, and "four smiths" (Revised Version) as powers that would cast the four horns down (1:18-21); "four chariots and .... horses" represented the "four spirits," the King James Version and the Revised Version, margin (better than "winds"), that went "forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth" ( Zech 6:1-5); in the visions of Ezekiel, "four living creatures," each with four faces, four wings, etc., were the bearers of the throne of God (1:5 f,23); so, in the visions of John there were "four living creatures" before and around the throne (Re 4:6; 5:6,8,14; 6:1; 15:7; 19:4); John saw "four angels" of destruction loosed for their work (Re 9:14).

(3) "Four" occurs frequently in the measurements of the sacred buildings, etc.

(a) of the tabernacle (Ex 25; 26; 27; 28:17; 36, etc.);

(b) of Solomon's temple (1Ki 7:2; 1Ch 9:24);

(c) of Ezekiel's temple (Eze 40:41; 41:5; 42:20; 43:14).

(4) "Four" is used as an alternative with "three" (Pr 30:15,18,21,24,29); we have "three or four" (2 Esdras 16:29,31); "the third and .... the fourth generation" (Ex 20:5; 34:7; Nu 14:18; De 5:9).

(5) Ten times four, or forty is also a special and sacred number, e.g. forty years did Israel eat manna (Ex 16:35); forty years in the wilderness (Nu 14:33; 32:13); "the land had rest forty years" (Jud 3:11; 5:31); Israel was delivered unto the hands of the Philistines for forty years (Jud 13:1); Eli judged Israel forty years (1Sa 4:18); Moses was forty years old when he visited his brethren (Ac 7:23); the flood continued for "forty days and forty nights" (Ge 7:4); Moses was in the Mount "forty days and forty nights" (Ex 24:18; 34:28; De 9:9); Jesus fasted in the desert forty days and nights (Mt 4:2); He remained with His disciples forty days after His resurrection (Ac 1:3).

(6) Fourscore is also frequent (shemonim) (Ex 7:7; Jud 3:30; Jer 41:5, etc.; ogdoekonta, Lu 2:37; 16:7).

(7) Four hundred represents a large number, e.g. the years of the oppression in Egypt (Ge 15:13); Esau's company (Ge 33:1); the men with David (1Sa 22:2; 25:13; 30:10,17); the prophets of Baal "four hundred and fifty," of Asherah, "four hundred" (1Ki 18:19,22); the prophets of Israel (1Ki 22:6). Four thousand represents a larger number, e.g. the musicians and porters of Solomon's temple (1Ch 23:5); the stalls for horses in Solomon's stables (2Ch 9:25); the Assassins who made insurrection under an Egyptian (Ac 21:38); Christ fed "four thousand men, besides women and children" (Mt 15:38). Four hundred thousand represents a very large number, e.g. the congregation of Israel that gathered at Mizpah, "four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword" (Jud 20:2,17); Abijah's army (2Ch 13:3; Jeroboam's, twice that number).

(8) The fourth part also frequently occurs (Ex 29:40; Le 23:13; Nu 23:10; Re 6:8, etc.).

W. L. Walker