FORTY, the cardinal number equal to four tens. The name "The Forty" has been given to various bodies, particularly to a judicial body of 4o members in ancient Athens who tried small cases in the rural districts, and to a court of criminal jurisdiction and two civil appeal courts in the Venetian republic. The French Academy (see ACADEMIES) has also been known as "The Forty" or "The Forty Immortals." The period just before the repeal of the corn laws in the United Kingdom is frequently alluded to as the "hungry forties" ; and the "roaring forties" is a sailor's name for the stormy region between 4o° and 5o° S. lat.