forty-niner
[ fawr-tee-nahy-ner ]
/ ˌfɔr tiˈnaɪ nər /
noun
a person, especially a prospector, who went to California in 1849 during the gold rush.
Origin of forty-niner
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
Words nearby forty-niner
forty-first,
forty-five,
forty-four,
forty-fourth,
forty-nine,
forty-niner,
forty-niners,
forty-ninth,
forty-ninth parallel,
forty-one,
forty-second
Example sentences from the Web for forty-niners
British Dictionary definitions for forty-niners
forty-niner
noun
(sometimes capital) US history
a prospector who took part in the California gold rush of 1849
49er
a type of dinghy, designed to be crewed by two people
Cultural definitions for forty-niners
forty-niners
Those who flocked to California in 1849 in search of gold, which had been discovered there in 1848. Reportedly, there were about eighty thousand of them.