The decade of the 1940s, or a person's age from 40 to 49 years old. Can also refer to the temperature range from 40 to 49 degrees.
From 'forty' (Old English 'feowertig'), literally meaning 'four tens'. The plural form developed to describe decades (1840s, 1940s, etc.) and age ranges, becoming common in the 19th and 20th centuries as standardized ways to discuss time periods and life stages.
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