eight

Meaning

Noun

• The digit/figure 8.
• Any of the four cards in a normal deck with the value eight.
• A light, narrow rowing boat, especially one used in competitive rowing, steered by a cox, in which eight rowers each have two oars.
• A race in which such craft participate.
• The eight people who crew a rowing-boat.
• Alternate spelling of ait

Origin

• From Middle English eighte, aught, eahte, ahte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw.
• Cognate with Scots aucht ("eight"), West Frisian acht ("eight"), Dutch acht ("eight"), Low German acht ("eight"), German acht ("eight"), Norwegian åtte ("eight"), Swedish åtta ("eight"), Icelandic átta ("eight"), Latin octo ("eight"), Ancient Greek ὀκτώ, Irish ocht ("eight").
• See ait.