aught

¹ American  

[awt] / ɔt /

Or ought

noun

1. anything whatever; any part.

   for aught I know.

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adverb

1. Archaic. in any degree; at all; in any respect.

aught ² American  

[awt] / ɔt /

Or ought

noun

1. a cipher (0); zero.

2. aughts, the first decade of any century, especially the years 1900 through 1909 or 2000 through 2009.

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aught ³ American  

[awkht] / ɔxt /

verb (used with object)

Scot.

1. to own; possess.

2. to owe (someone or something); be obligated to.

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adjective

Scot.

1. possessed of.

noun

1. Archaic.

   1. ownership; possession.

   2. property; a possession.

aught ⁴ American  

[awkht] / ɔxt /

adjective

Scot.

1. eight.

2. eighth.

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aught ¹ British  

/ ɔːt /

pronoun

1. anything at all; anything whatever (esp in the phrase for aught I know )

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adverb

1. dialect in any least part; to any degree

aught ² British  

/ ɔːt /

noun

1. a less common word for nought

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Etymology

Origin of aught¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English aught, ought, Old English āht, āwiht, ōwiht, equivalent to ā, ō “ever” + wiht “thing”; wight ¹

Origin of aught²

First recorded in 1820–25; from a naught, taken as an aught ( auger ). See naught

Origin of aught³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English æht; cognate with Old High German ēht, Gothic aihts; akin to owe, own

Origin of aught⁴

First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English aghte, aughte, variant of eighte; eight

Example Sentences

I flashed back to back in the early aughts when you were doing “Scrubs” and you called me up and asked me if I would do something.

From Los Angeles Times

The broadcast aired her series “Nigella Bites” in the late 1990s and early aughts in tandem with the release of her book of the same name.

From Los Angeles Times

In the mid-’90s and early aughts, Moon supplemented his series work with films including “The Brady Bunch Movie,” “Minority Report,” “Fight Club,” “Evan Almighty” and “Leap Year.”

From Los Angeles Times

The 30-minute sitcom was a comfort watch throughout much of the early aughts, with an endless loop of reruns keeping the show alive in the minds of fans long after it was canceled in 2010.

From Los Angeles Times

It was in that position, in the early aughts, that Bonham first became immersed in the fierce disagreement over what to do with scarce water in the Klamath Basin — irrigate farms or protect salmon.

From Los Angeles Times