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aught

 - 8 dictionary results

aught

1  [awt]
Use aught in a Sentence
–noun
1. anything whatever; any part: for aught I know.
–adverb
2. Archaic. in any degree; at all; in any respect.
Also, ought.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME aught, ought, OE āht, āwiht, ōwiht, equiv. to ā, ō ever + wiht thing, wight 1

aught

2  [awt]
–noun
a cipher (0); zero.
Also, ought.

Origin:
a naught, taken as an aught (cf. auger ). See naught

aught

3  [awkht]
–verb (used with object) Scot.
1. to own; possess.
2. to owe (someone or something); be obligated to.
–adjective
3. possessed of.
–noun
4. Archaic.
a. ownership; possession.
b. property; a possession.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE æht; c. OHG ēht, Goth aihts; akin to owe, own

aught

4  [awkht]
–adjective Scot.
1. eight.
2. eighth.
Origin:
ME aghte, aughte, var. of eighte; see eight
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To aught
aught 1 also ought   (ôt)   
pron.  Anything whatever: "Neither of his parents had aught but praise for him" (Louis Auchincloss).
adv.  Archaic In any respect; at all.

[Middle English, from Old English āuht; see aiw- in Indo-European roots.]
aught 2 also ought   (ôt)   
n.  

  1. A cipher; zero.

  2. Archaic Nothing.


[From an aught, alteration of a naught; see naught.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

aught  (1)
"something," O.E. awiht "aught, anything, something," lit. "e'er a whit," from P.Gmc. *aiwi "ever" (from PIE *aiw- "vital force, life, long life, eternity.") + *wihti "thing, anything whatever" (see wight). In Shakespeare, Milton and Pope, aught and ought occur indiscriminately.

aught  (2)
"nothing, zero," faulty sep. of a naught (see naught).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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