forty-niner

US: /ˌfɔrtiˈnaɪnɚ/ ,(fôr′tē nī′nər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

for•ty-nin•er /ˌfɔrtiˈnaɪnɚ/   n. [countable]

1. American History a person participating in the California gold rush in 1849.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

for•ty-nin•er  (fôr′tē nī′nər), n. 

1. American History a person, esp. a prospector, who went to California in 1849 during the gold rush.

• 1850–55, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

forty-niner noun

1. (sometimes capital) a prospector who took part in the California gold rush of 1849