oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European)
Where does "oḱtṓw" come from?
The Proto-Indo-European word '*oḱtṓw' meant 'eight'[1]. Formally, it is the dual form of a stem '*o1ko-to-' meaning 'four fingers'[1]. This erstwhile singular form also appears in Avestan as '*ašti-' with the meaning 'breadth of four fingers'[1], and it appears to have been borrowed into Proto-Kartvelian as '*otxo-' meaning 'four'[1].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European form is formally analyzed as a dual of a stem meaning four fingers, though this singular origin is a historical reconstruction. [1]
Full etymology tree
- *oḱtṓw (Proto-Indo-European), 'eight'
- derived *(H)oḱto- (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- *oḱtódḱomt (Proto-Indo-European)
Sources
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris