#Four score and seven years ago time plus#

This method was later picked up by the French and English. Previously, the Irish, Welsh, and Gaelic people used vigesimalism. People use a multiple of it as a base, as in ‘vint et doze,’ which represents 32, or ‘dous vinz et diz,’ which represents 50. In addition, the French word ‘vint’ refers to twenty. This method counts large numbers of items, such as sheep, using a notch in a stick for each 20. The term ‘score’ was also used in vigesimalism, an old French counting method. In Iceland, a score is twenty too, from the term ‘ skur’ from ‘ sker,’ meaning to cut. The English term ‘score’ originated from this Norse word. The root word of ‘score’ is a Norse word for incision – ‘ skor.’ Skor refers to cuts or incisions made on a stick to keep a tally. The use of the term gradually diminished as languages changed and took on newer terms. In the Bible, the term ‘score’ was often used. The term originated from old Nordic and English terms, ‘ skor’ and ‘ scuro,’ respectively. How Long Is a Score?Ī score is equal to 20 years.

Read on to learn more about the term ‘score,’ its meaning, origin, and uses. Lincoln made the speech in 1863, so he referred to 1776 when the U.S.

#Four score and seven years ago time plus#

Lincoln’s Gettysburg address used the term, “Four score and seven years ago…” He referred to 87 years from his speech date (four score is 80 years, plus 7). Therefore, each mark or ‘score’ on the stick represents 20 sheep. Also, one score has come from the practice of counting sheep or cattle from one to twenty and marking a notch or ‘score’ on a stick. Another 20 sheep are counted, and a new notch is marked anew. The term score may also have come from the Proto-Germanic term ‘ skur,’ meaning to cut. It also originated from the Old English term ‘ scoru,’ meaning ‘ twenty.’ The term ‘score’ originated from the Old Norse term ‘ skor,’ meaning notch, mark, or incision in rock. People are more acquainted with the term ‘decade.’ If a decade is 10 years, how long is a score?Ī score is 20 years long. Nowadays, a ‘score’ as a measurement of time is rarely used. The most popular use of the term ‘score’ is in Lincoln’s speech in Gettysburg.