eight English · revision 3293

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725, Beowulf|origins=ine-pro *oḱtṓw}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /eɪt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|eighte]], earlier ehte,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|eahta]], also æhta,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*ahtōu|alt=*akhto]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) the source also of Old Saxon and Old High German ahto (German acht, Dutch acht), Old Norse átta and Gothic ahtau,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[ine-pro|*oḱtṓw|alt=*oḱtṓ(u)|t=eight]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000) Its cognates outside Germanic include Latin octō, Greek oktṓ, Old Irish ocht, Lithuanian aštuonì, Sanskrit aṣṭáu and Tocharian A okät.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) The Germanic, Greek, Latin and Sanskrit forms seem to continue an Indo-European dual in -ōu, possibly meaning “two fours”.^(Barnhart 1988) French huit, Italian otto and Spanish ocho come from the Latin word.^(Etymonline) The -gh- spelling is like that of [[fight]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English eahta is found about 725, in ''Beowulf'';^(Barnhart 1988) Middle English ehte is probably from about 1200, in the ''Ormulum'',^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and eighte from about 1378.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Eight days'' meant a week from about 1160.^(OED 1989) ''Eight o'clock'' with the noun left out is from 1598.^(OED 1989) The Spanish ''piece of eight'', a dollar worth eight reals, is from the 1690s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) A rowing crew of eight is from 1847.^(Etymonline) In Scots ''an aucht days'' was a few days, a short time.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – Old English eahta.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1160 – ''eight days'', a week.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle English ehte.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1378 – the form eighte.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1690s – ''piece of eight''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1847 – an eight-man rowing crew.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Number===

+ # The [[cardinal number]] that is one more than seven.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The symbol for this number, 8.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A set or group of eight, especially a [[rowing]] crew or its boat.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # An eight-cylinder engine or car.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[eighteen]]

+ * [[eightpenny]]

+ * [[eighty]]

+ * [[eighty-eight]]

+ * [[eight ball]]

+ * [[figure eight]]

+ * [[figure of eight]]

+ * [[piece of eight]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[eighth]]

+ * [[octave]]

+ * [[octopus]]

+ * [[October]]

+ * [[octagon]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}