Roman Numeral Four

It equals four. IV puts I before V: five minus one. It marks the fourth chapter or section, or a ruler who is fourth with that name. Ⅳ is IV in one character.

Roman numeral IV belongs to a system rooted in Etruscan notation, used by an ancient Italian people on inscriptions, coins, pottery and graves. Evidence reaches the late sixth century BCE. A 1988 study supports Etruscan tally marks as a source for Latin numerals. Roman and medieval forms varied as digits 0–9 displaced them. European clocks favored IIII until around the seventeenth century; its origin is disputed.