Englisheight, fromOld Englisheahta, æhta,Proto-Germanic*ahto is a direct continuation of thehypothesizedProto-Indo-European*oḱtṓ(w)-, and as such cognate with Greekὀκτώ and Latinocto-, both of which stems are reflected by the English prefixoct(o)-, as in the ordinal adjectiveoctaval oroctavary, the distributive adjective isoctonary.The adjectiveoctuple (Latinoctu-plus) may also be used as a noun, meaning "a set of eight items"; the diminutiveoctuplet is mostly used to refer to eight siblings delivered in one birth.
It has been argued that, as thecardinal number7 is the highest number of items that can universally becognitively processed as a single set, the etymology of the numeraleight might be the first to be considered composite, either as "twice four" or as "two short of ten", or similar.TheTurkic words for "eight" are from aProto-Turkic stem*sekiz, which has been suggested as originating as a negation ofeki "two", as in "without two fingers" (i.e., "two short of ten; two fingers are not being held up");[1]this same principle is found inUralic*kakteksa, which conveys a meaning of "two before (ten)". The Proto-Indo-European reconstruction*oḱtṓ(w)- itself has been argued as representing an old dual, which would correspond to an original meaning of "twice four".Proponents of this "quaternary hypothesis" adduce the numeral9, which might be built on the stemnew-, meaning "new" (indicating the beginning of a "new set of numerals" after having counted to eight).[2]
The modern digit 8, like all modernArabic numerals other than zero, originates with theBrahmi numerals.TheBrahmi digit foreight by the 1st century was written in one stroke as a curve └┐ looking like an uppercase H with the bottom half of the left line and the upper half of the right line removed.However, the digit for eight used in India in the early centuries of the Common Era developed considerable graphic variation, and in some cases took the shape of a single wedge, which was adopted into the Perso-Arabic tradition as٨ (and also gave rise to the later Devanagari form८); the alternative curved glyph also existed as a variant in Perso-Arabic tradition, where it came to look similar to our digit 5.[year needed]
The digits as used inAl-Andalus by the 10th century were a distinctive western variant of the glyphs used in the Arabic-speaking world, known asghubār numerals (ghubār translating to "sand table"). In these digits, the line of the5-like glyph used in Indian manuscripts for eight came to be formed in ghubār as a closed loop, which was the8-shape that became adopted into European use in the 10th century.[3]
Just as in most moderntypefaces, in typefaces withtext figures the character for the digit 8 usually has anascender, as, for example, in.
Theinfinity symbol ∞, described as a "sideways figure eight", is unrelated to the digit 8 in origin; it is first used (in the mathematical meaning "infinity") in the 17th century, and it may be derived from theRoman numeral for "one thousand" CIƆ, or alternatively from the final Greek letter,ω.
The number eight plays a central role inchemistry, particularly in the context of theoctet rule (also known as the eight-electron rule). According to this theory, atoms of the main group elements from the second period of theperiodic table onwards strive to have a maximum of eight outer electrons (valence electrons) inmolecules in order to achieve a stablenoble gas configuration. This rule applies in particular to the elementscarbon,nitrogen,oxygen andfluorine, as these often form compounds in which they achieve eight valence electrons. Theatomic number eight is also significant in chemistry, as it represents the element oxygen, which is in the eighth position in the periodic table.
In general, "eight" seems to be an auspicious number for Buddhists. TheDharmacakra, aBuddhist symbol, has eight spokes.[20] The Buddha's principal teaching—theFour Noble Truths—ramifies as theNoble Eightfold Path and the Buddha emphasizes the importance of the eight attainments or jhanas.
The number eight is considered to be alucky number in Chinese and other Asian cultures.[21] Eight (八;accounting捌;pinyinbā) is considered alucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word meaning to generate wealth (發(T) 发(S);Pinyin:fā). Property with the number 8 may be valued greatly by Chinese. For example, a Hong Kongnumber plate with the number 8 was sold for $640,000.[22] The opening ceremony of theSummer Olympics in Beijing started at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 p.m. (local time) on 8 August 2008.[23]
In Pythagoreannumerology the number 8 represents victory, prosperity and overcoming.
Eight (八,hachi, ya) is also considered a lucky number inJapan, but the reason is different from that in Chinese culture.[24] Eight gives an idea of growing prosperous, because the letter (八) broadens gradually.
The Japanese thought of eight (や,ya) as a holy number in the ancient times. The reason is less well-understood, but it is thought that it is related to the fact they used eight to express large numbers vaguely such as manyfold (やえはたえ,Yae Hatae) (literally, eightfold and twentyfold), many clouds (やくも,Yakumo) (literally, eight clouds), millions and millions of Gods (やおよろずのかみ,Yaoyorozu no Kami) (literally, eight millions of Gods), etc. It is also guessed that the ancient Japanese gave importance to pairs, so some researchers guess twice as four (よ,yo), which is also guessed to be a holy number in those times because it indicates the world (north, south, east, and west) might be considered a very holy number.
Innumerology, 8 is the number of building, and in some theories, also the number of destruction.
Most competitions (though not theSuper League, which uses static squad numbering) use a position-based player numbering system in which one of the two starting props wears the number 8.
InTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld series, eight is a magical number[25] and is considered taboo. Eight is not safe to be said by wizards on theDiscworld and is the number of Bel-Shamharoth. Also, there are eight days in a Disc week and eight colours in a Disc spectrum, the eighth one beingoctarine.
^Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages: Common Turkic and Interturkic stems starting with letters «L», «M», «N», «P», «S», Vostochnaja Literatura RAS, 2003, 241f. (altaica.ruArchived 31 October 2007 at theWayback Machine)
^the hypothesis is discussed critically (and rejected as "without sufficient support") byWerner Winter, 'Some thought about Indo-European numerals' in: Jadranka Gvozdanović (ed.),Indo-European Numerals,Walter de Gruyter, 1992, 14f.
^Georges Ifrah,The Universal History of Numbers: From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer transl. David Bellos et al. London: The Harvill Press (1998): 395, Fig. 24.68.
^Bryan Bunch,The Kingdom of Infinite Number. New York: W. H. Freeman & Company (2000): 88
^Weisstein, Eric W."Sphenic Number".mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved7 August 2020....then every sphenic number n=pqr has precisely eight positive divisors
^Weisstein, Eric W."Octal".mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved7 August 2020.
^Weisstein, Eric W."Octagon".mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved7 August 2020.
^Weisstein, Eric W."Regular Octagon".mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved25 June 2022.
^Katz, A (1995). "Matching rules and quasiperiodicity: the octagonal tilings". In Axel, F.; Gratias, D. (eds.).Beyond quasicrystals. Springer. pp. 141–189.doi:10.1007/978-3-662-03130-8_6.ISBN978-3-540-59251-8.
^Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America, Inc. 1931. p. 20.lunge forward upon this skate in a left outside forward circle, in just the reverse of your right outside forward circle, until you complete a figure 8.
^Day, Cyrus Lawrence (1986).The Art of Knotting & Splicing. Naval Institute Press. p. 231.ISBN978-0-87021-062-4.To make a line temporarily fast by winding it, figure – eight fashion, round a cleat, a belaying pin, or a pair of bitts.
