ocht (Irish)
Where does "ocht" come from?
The Irish word 'ocht' for the number eight traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw, a term historically derived from the dual form of a word meaning 'four fingers.' This ancient root evolved into the Proto-Celtic *oxtū before settling into its familiar form in Old Irish. It stands as a resilient linguistic relic that has maintained its basic numerical meaning across thousands of years of human history.
Full etymology tree
- ocht (Irish), 'eight'
- inherited ocht (Old Irish), 'eight'
- inherited *oxtū (Proto-Celtic), 'eight'
- inherited *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European), 'eight'
- derived *(H)oḱto- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European), 'eight'
- inherited *oxtū (Proto-Celtic), 'eight'
- inherited ocht (Old Irish), 'eight'
Ancestors
- ocht (Old Irish)
- *oxtū (Proto-Celtic)
- *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- ochtach (Irish)
- ochtach (Irish)
- ochtar (Irish)
- ochtú (Irish)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris