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