ahtōu (Proto-Germanic)

Where does "ahtōu" come from?

The Proto-Germanic numeral 'ahtōu', meaning 'eight'[1], descends from the Proto-Indo-European reconstructed form '*oḱtṓw', which also meant 'eight'[1]. This ancestral Indo-European form is formally structured as the dual of a stem meaning 'four fingers'[2].

Open questions

• The Proto-Indo-European form is reconstructed as a dual of a stem meaning four fingers and appears to have possible reflexes or borrowings in other language families. [2]

Full etymology tree

• *ahtōu (Proto-Germanic), 'eight'
  • inherited *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European), 'eight'

Ancestors

• *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European)

Descendants and derived words

• átta (Old Norse)
• átta (Old Norse)
• átta (Old Norse)
• átta (Old Norse)

Sources

1. ahtōu (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
2. oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris