ENGLISH
REFERENCE

eight

num. · n.
US //ˈeɪt// UK //ˈeɪt// eight
  1. 1 the number 8 (num.)
    A1 Beginner

    the number between seven and nine.

    the cardinal number between seven and nine.

    Example

    There are eight chairs around the dining table for our guests.

    Example

    The spider is easily distinguished from insects by its eight legs and lack of antennae.

  2. 2 time or age (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    eight o'clock or the age of eight.

    the eighth hour of the day or the eighth year of a person's life.

    Example

    The movie starts at eight, so we should leave now.

    Example

    By the time she was eight, she had already developed a keen interest in classical piano.

  3. 3 rowing boat (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a long, thin boat used in races with eight people rowing.

    a racing shell propelled by eight rowers, each using a single oar, and steered by a coxswain.

    Example

    The university's eight won the race by two lengths.

    Example

    The coach watched from the riverbank as the men's eight maintained a perfect rhythm during their final sprint.

    Usage

    Often used to refer to both the boat and the crew collectively.
  4. 4 playing cards (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a card in a deck with eight symbols on it.

    any of the four playing cards in a standard deck with a face value of eight.

    Example

    I have two eights in my hand, but I need a king to win.

    Example

    He discarded the eight of hearts, hoping to mislead his opponent about the strength of his remaining hand.

Etymology 1

PIE word *oḱtṓw From Middle English eighte, aught, eahte, ahte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic ahtō, from Proto-Germanic ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw. Cognate with Scots aucht (“eight”), West Frisian acht (“eight”), Dutch acht (“eight”), Low German acht (“eight”), German acht (“eight”), Norwegian åtte (“eight”), Swedish åtta (“eight”), Icelandic átta (“eight”), Latin octo (“eight”), Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ), Irish ocht (“eight”), among others. False cognate of Tamil எட்டு (eṭṭu), Malayalam എട്ട് (eṭṭŭ).

Etymology 2

See ait.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family
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Last updated June 19, 2026