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. See number
   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.
   have one over the eight to be drunk
9. See figure of eight
   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

That man was Xavier Cortada, a gay man who wrote of his frustration that he and his partner of eight years were unable to marry.

From The Daily Beast

I could complain about how, two out of eight episodes in, Agent Carter is in no hurry to introduce its real villain.

From The Daily Beast

The Air Force has about seven pilots for every eight drone pilot slots, in other words.

From The Daily Beast

One of the kids had a ball in his hand, and Cuomo took it and tossed it back and forth to an eight year old.

From The Daily Beast

If you answered nine or more, you may have won a SONY Betamax and an eight-track operating system.

From The Daily Beast

When she arrived she made a regular entry into the city in a coach all gold and glass, drawn by eight superb plumed horses.

From Project Gutenberg

After an eight weeks' siege, a breach having been made, the city surrendered, and a month later the fort followed the example.

From Project Gutenberg

But what might have been very practicable for eight hundred and sixty men, was impossible for three hundred and sixty.

From Project Gutenberg

At six o'clock I felt once more the welcome motion of a Railroad car, and at eight was in Venice.

From Project Gutenberg

The card table profitably occupies some six to eight hours daily of these old fellows' attention.

From Project Gutenberg

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.