Definition of eight

The origin of the word "eight" can be traced back to the ancient Germanic language, which is the linguistic ancestor of modern-day English, German, and other Germanic languages. The Proto-Germanic word for eight was *ahttā, which is composed of the roots *aht- (meaning "two" or "double") and *tā- (meaning "four"). The Germanic languages that inherited this word include Old English (æhta), Old Frisian (achta), Old High German (achto), Old Saxon (achto), and Old Norse (átt), among others. In modern English, the spelling of "eight" has evolved over time. In Middle English, it was commonly spelled "entieth" or "oht" (from Old English æhta), and in early Modern English, it was spelled "eyght" (which comes from the Old French word huit, also derived from the Proto-Germanic word *ahttā). The prefix "bi-" (meaning "two") can also be added to "eight" to form "sixteen" (bi-æhta, in Old English). Interestingly, the word "octo-" (meaning "eight") is also used in scientific and mathematical contexts, where it refers to things with eight parts or dimensions, such as octopuses, octahedrons, or octaves in music. Other related words include "digit", which comes from the Latin word digitus ("finger"), as our ancient ancestors originally counted by holding up certain numbers of fingers. In many languages, such as French (huit), Italian (otto), and Spanish (ocho), the word for "eight" is related to the Latin word octō ("eight"). Additionally, words for "eight" in some Slavic and Baltic languages, such as Polish (osiem) and Latvian (āts), are also derived from the Proto-Germanic word *ahttā.