Etymograph

English

eight

Eight comes from Middle English eighte, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*oḱtṓw1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahtōu1reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahtō1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150eahta1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eighte1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1837eight1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English eight
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Thomas Carlyle, London: James Fraser: “About eight on the Saturday morning, she purchases a…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*oḱtṓwWiktionary, English eightreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahtōuWiktionary, English eightreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahtōWiktionary, English eightreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150eahtaWiktionary, English eight
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eighteWiktionary, English eight
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1837eightWiktionary, English eight. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Thomas Carlyle, London: James Fraser: “About eight on the Saturday morning, she purchases a…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw

octave, octavo, 18 more

through Old English eahta

aught, 7 more

Today it means

num A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “eight”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw / eight

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