Etymologically
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huit

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɥit/[1]
  • IPA (Quebec): [ɥɪt][1]
  • IPA (Belgium): [wit][1]
  • IPA: /ɥi/[1]

Forms

huit (invariable)[1] Old French oit (about 1130), uit, Middle French huyct, huict.[2][3][1] The ⟨h⟩ was added to avoid reading uit as vit, when ⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ were one letter.[4][2][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French uit, inherited from Latin octō (“eight”).[4][2][5][6] The ⟨h⟩, also seen in huile and huître, is purely graphic; that “huit” takes no liaison or elision (“le huit”) follows the general rule for numerals, as with un and onze, rather than an old aspirate.[4][5][1]

Cognate with Italian otto, Spanish ocho, Portuguese oito, Occitan uech, Catalan vuit and Romanian opt.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Laws of William the Conqueror (late 11th century) have uit and oit deners, Wace (1130–40) has oit.[8][4][9]

Semantic evolution

Huit jours has meant “a week” since at least Palsgrave (1530), whence donner ses huit jours “to give notice” (Zola, 1887), recalling an old custom of paying a week's wages, and d'aujourd'hui en huit (Furetière, 1690).[9][2][4] As a noun huit is the eight of a suit of cards (1690), the figure 8, a figure-of-eight in skating (1895) and a rowing eight (1906).[2][4]

Timeline

  • late 11th century – Uit, oit, Laws of William.[8]
  • 1130–40 – Oit, Wace.[4]
  • 1213 – The derivative huitième.[5]
  • 1530 – Huit jours “a week”, Palsgrave.[9]
  • 1690 – Un huit de cœur, d'aujourd'hui en huit, Furetière.[4]
  • 1895 – A figure of eight in skating.[2]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. eight: huit ans, le huit mai, page huit.[10][1]
  2. Huit jours: a week, lundi en huit, a week on Monday.[2][4]

Noun

  1. The number eight; the figure 8; the eight (of a suit of cards); a figure of eight; a rowing eight.[2][4]

Word family

  • huitième
  • huitaine
  • huitain
  • dix-huit
  • octobre
  • octave
  • Latin octō

Usage notes

The final t is pronounced before a vowel and at the end of a phrase, but not before a consonant: huit enfants /ɥit/, huit jours /ɥi/; there is no elision before it (le huit).[4][10][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 305b
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert