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

After eight games there were four teams without any wins but, three games later, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Southampton have one victory each.

From BBC

The research, a collaboration with the Technical University of Munich, studied over 2.5 million buildings across eight cities using an emerging sustainable cities measure, known as the '3-30-300' rule.

From Science Daily

“It’s amazing,” said Tae, who scored 24 points and had eight dunks in a win over Oak Park.

From Los Angeles Times

Johnson died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a caesarean section eight years ago, spurring a public uproar and lawsuits by her husband against Cedars-Sinai and several physicians, which were ultimately settled.

From Los Angeles Times

Planning documents show Mr Saverimutto said the gym would give specialist sports and health education to aspiring young athletes aged eight to 18, and include three classrooms and a sensory room.

From BBC

How Do You Spell 8?

Spelling tips for 8

The word eight (8) is hard to spell because it is not spelled the way it sounds [ eyt ]. There are a number of silent letters. 

How to spell eight: The easiest way to remember how to spell eight is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C, except when it’s pronounced like a long A, as in neighbor and weigh.” The collection of letters eigh often makes a long A sound. To this, you simply add the t at the end: eight.