eight

[ eyt ]

noun

1. a cardinal number, seven plus one.
2. a symbol for this number, as 8 or VIII.
3. a set of this many persons or things, as the crew of an eight-oared racing shell.
4. a playing card the face of which bears eight pips.
5. Informal.
   1. an automobile powered by an eight-cylinder engine.
   2. an eight-cylinder engine.

adjective

1. amounting to eight in number.

eight

/ eɪt /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of one and seven and the product of two and four See also number
2. a numeral, 8, VIII, etc, representing this number
3. music the numeral 8 used as the lower figure in a time signature to indicate that the beat is measured in quavers
4. the amount or quantity that is one greater than seven
5. something representing, represented by, or consisting of eight units, such as a playing card with eight symbols on it
6. rowing
   1. a racing shell propelled by eight oarsmen
   2. the crew of such a shell
7. Also calledeight o'clock eight hours after noon or midnight
8. have one over the eight slang.
   to be drunk
9. See figure of eight

determiner

1. 1. amounting to eight
   2. ( as pronoun )

      I could only find eight

Word History and Origins

Origin of eight¹

before 1000; Middle English eighte, Old English ( e ) ahta; cognate with Dutch acht, Old Saxon, Old High German ahto ( German acht ), Old Norse ātta, Gothic ahtau, Latin octō, Greek oktṓ, Old Irish ocht, Welsh wyth, Breton eiz, Tocharian B okt, Lithuanian aštuonì, Albanian tetë, Armenian uth, Persian hasht, Sanskrit aṣṭáu; apparently an old dual in form, but not clear of what

Word History and Origins

Origin of eight¹

Old English eahta; related to Old High German ahto, Old Norse ātta, Old Irish ocht, Latin octō, Greek okto, Sanskrit astau

Idioms and Phrases

see behind the eight ball .

Example Sentences

Eight days before she died, in her hospital journal, Lucy wrote “help me”.

From BBC

Eight players have dropped out of the squad for Lee Carsley's final two matches as interim manager before Thomas Tuchel takes charge in January.

From BBC

Eight years ago Mr Russell married an Albanian woman and has since lived in the country’s capital Tirana with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.

From BBC

Eight years after Guns N’ Roses improbably reunited, the bassist still loves playing with them and can balance that with his solo career.

From Los Angeles Times

Eight years later, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has occupied territory in the country's east.

From BBC