The Etymology and Numerical Significance of 8 Quiz
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The Etymology and Numerical Significance of 8 Quiz

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Questions and Answers

Eight is the ______ number following 7 and preceding 9.

natural

English eight, from Old English ______, æhta, Proto-Germanic *ahto is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓ(w)-

eahta

The adjective octuple (Latin octu-plus) may also be used as a ______, meaning 'a set of eight items'

noun

The Semitic numeral is based on a root *θmn-, whence Akkadian ______, Arabic ṯmn-, Hebrew šmn- etc.

<p>smn-</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Chinese numeral, written 八 (Mandarin: bā; Cantonese: ______), is from Old Chinese *priāt-

<p>baat</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Number 8

  • 8 is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
  • The English word "eight" comes from Old English "eahta" or "æhta", which is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European "*oḱtṓ(w)-".

Etymology of 8

  • The Proto-Indo-European "*oḱtṓ(w)-" is cognate with Greek "ὀκτώ" and Latin "octo-", which are reflected in the English prefix "oct(o)-".
  • The prefix "oct(o)-" is used in words like "octaval" or "octavary", and the adjective "octuple" (from Latin "octu-plus").
  • "Octuple" can be used as a noun to refer to a set of eight items.
  • The diminutive form "octuplet" is primarily used to describe eight siblings born in one birth.

Numeral Roots

  • The Semitic numeral is based on the root "*θmn-", which is seen in Akkadian "smn-", Arabic "ṯmn-", and Hebrew "šmn-".
  • The Chinese numeral "八" (Mandarin: "bā"; Cantonese: "baat") comes from Old Chinese "*priāt-", which is derived from Sino-Tibetan "b-r-gyat" or "b-g-ryat", also yielding Tibetan "brgyat".

Cognitive Limitation

  • It has been argued that 7 is the highest number of items that can be universally cognitively processed.

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Description

Test your knowledge about the etymology and numerical significance of the number 8 in this quiz! Explore its roots in various languages and discover fascinating connections to other words and prefixes.

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