Origin: Germanic Old English suffix
Eight has 8 different meanings across 3 categories:
a group of United States painters founded in 1907 and noted for their realistic depictions of sordid aspects of city life
"The art history professor explained that the Eight were a pivotal group of American painters who rejected academic conventions to depict gritty scenes from urban tenements."
one of four playing cards in a deck with eight pips on the face
"She shuffled the deck and dealt an eight of spades to the player sitting across from her."
The digit/figure 8.
"The old map marked an eight near the bend where we found the small fishing village today."
Alternative spelling of ait (island in a river)
In plain English: Eight is the number that comes right after seven and before nine.
"The eight students in the class raised their hands to answer the question."
Usage: Do not use "eight" as a noun to mean an island; that is a rare alternative spelling of "ait." Instead, reserve the word for its primary function as the cardinal number representing the quantity seven plus one.
Obsolete spelling of eighth
"The old manuscript contained an archaic entry where the word eight was used instead of eighth to denote a fraction."
"The eight children played happily in the garden."
Usage: Do not use "eight" as an adjective to mean "eighth," as this is an obsolete form. Instead, always use the correct comparative ordinal number "eighth" when describing position or sequence.
A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine.
"The teacher asked us to count backward from ten, so we started at nine and said eight next."
The word "eight" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *oḱtṓw, which originally meant the number eight. It traveled into English through Old English and Middle English, remaining essentially unchanged in its meaning over time.