Data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons at centre-of-mass energies
between 91 GeV and 209 GeV collected with the OPAL detector at LEP, are
used to study the four-jet rate as a function of the Durham algorithm
resolution parameter ycut. The four-jet rate is compared to
next-to-leading order calculations that include the resummation of large
logarithms. The strong coupling measured from the four-jet rate is

alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1182 +- 0.0003 (stat.) +- 0.0015 (exp.) +- 0.0011 (had.) 
                      +- 0.0012 (scale) +- 0.0013 (mass)

in agreement with the world average. Next-to-leading order fits to the
D-parameter and thrust minor event-shape observables are also performed
for the first time. We find consistent results, but with significantly
larger theoretical uncertainties.