English
eighty
Eighty comes from Middle English eightety, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *ahtōutēhundą.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahtōutēhundąreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hundeahtatiġ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eightety
- Englishearliest quotation 2025eighty
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahtōutēhundąreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hundeahtatiġ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eightety
- Englishearliest quotation 2025eighty
Earliest quotation: 2025, Peter Charalambous, Penguin Random House”: “Merryday, who was appointed by President Geroge^([sic]) H. W.…”
Formed from eight + -ty
Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw
Proto-Germanic *ahtōu
Proto-West Germanic *ahtō
Old English eahta
Middle English eighte
English eight
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw ‘eight’
octave, octavo, aught, 18 more
through Proto-Germanic *sebun ‘seven’
Today it means
num The cardinal number occurring after seventy-nine and before eighty-one, represented in Roman numerals as LXXX and in Arabic numerals as 80.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *ahtōutēhundą / eighty