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aught

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aught¹

  • /ɔːt/ UK
  • /oːt/ Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard
  • /ɔt/ Scotland
  • /ɔt/ US
  • /ɑt/ US, cot caught merger
  • /ɒt/ Canada

Sounds like ought · Rhymes with -ɔːt

Where it comes from

From Middle English aught, ought, from Old English āht, āwiht, from ā (“always", "ever”) + wiht (“thing", "creature”). More at wight.

pronoun owt

  1. archaic, dialectal Anything whatsoever, any part. for aught I know/care

adverb owt

  1. archaic, not comparable At all, in any degree, in any respect. […] and if your love Can labour aught in sad invention, Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb, And sing it to her bones [...]

noun aughts · owt

  1. archaic Whit, the smallest part, iota.

aught²

  • /ɔːt/ UK
  • /oːt/ Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard
  • /ɔt/ Scotland
  • /ɔt/ US
  • /ɑt/ US, cot caught merger
  • /ɒt/ Canada

Sounds like ought · Rhymes with -ɔːt

Where it comes from

Rebracketing of a naught.

noun aughts

  1. proscribed, sometimes Zero.
  2. The digit zero.

aught³

  • /ɔːt/ UK
  • /oːt/ Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard
  • /ɔt/ Scotland
  • /ɔt/ US
  • /ɑt/ US, cot caught merger
  • /ɒt/ Canada

Sounds like ought · Rhymes with -ɔːt

Where it comes from

From Middle English aught (“estimation, regard, reputation”), from Old English ǣht (“estimation, consideration”), from Proto-West Germanic *ahtu. Cognate with Dutch acht (“attention, regard, heed”), German Acht (“attention, regard”). Also see ettle.

noun

  1. regional, uncountable Estimation. in my aught
  2. regional, uncountable Of importance or consequence (in the phrase "of aught"). an event of aught
  3. obsolete, rare, regional, uncountable Esteem, respect. a man of aught

aught⁴

  • /ɔːt/ UK
  • /oːt/ Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard
  • /ɔt/ Scotland
  • /ɔt/ US
  • /ɑt/ US, cot caught merger
  • /ɒt/ Canada

Sounds like ought · Rhymes with -ɔːt

Where it comes from

Originally the past tense of owe.

verb aughts · aughting · aughted

  1. dialectal, obsolete Obsolete or dialectal form of ought

aught⁵

  • /ɔːt/ UK
  • /oːt/ Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard
  • /ɔt/ Scotland
  • /ɔt/ US
  • /ɑt/ US, cot caught merger
  • /ɒt/ Canada

Sounds like ought · Rhymes with -ɔːt

Where it comes from

From Middle English ahte, from Old English eahta (“eight”). More at eight.

number

  1. dialectal, obsolete Obsolete or dialectal form of eight.eight Seven — aught — aught tines on the antlers. By G—d, a hart of aught tines, and the first of the season!

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