Meanings
back + forty, meaning “back side of a farm”. In the Homestead Acts (1860s–), farmers were granted a quarter section; a section was nominally 1 square mile containing 640 acres, a quarter section was 160 acres, and the quarter section was itself subdivided into four quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres each: two front forty and two back forty. Compare north forty, back of beyond, backcountry, and backwater.
How to pronounce "back forty":
AU
US
The remote part of a farm.
The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.
Example Sentences
1
My grandfather used to farm the back forty of our property.
2
We took a long hike through the back forty and discovered a peaceful meadow.
3
The back forty is where we grow most of our vegetables.
4
The kids built a fort in the back forty and played pretend battles.
5
The back forty has a small creek running through it.
