Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eightpenny” come from?

eightpenny (English) comes from English eight, from Middle English eighte, from Old English eahta, from Proto-West Germanic ahtō, from Proto-Germanic ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European oḱtṓw, from Proto-Indo-European aḱ- — sharp, pointed; sharp, pointed, edgy; sharp,...

eightpenny (English): Having a value or cost of eightpence

Definitions

  1. Having a value or cost of eightpence

Ancestry of “eightpenny”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglisheightA numerical value equal to 8; the number...
2Middle Englisheighteeight
3Old Englisheahtaeight
4Proto-West Germanicahtōeight
5Proto-Germanicahtōueight
6Proto-Indo-Europeanoḱtṓweight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanaḱ-sharp, pointed; sharp, pointed, edgy; sharp,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European aḱ- →