astoņi

From a previous undeclinable *aštuo- (changed by analogy with septiņi, deviņi), from Proto-Baltic *aśtṓ, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw (“eight”), apparently from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed, angular”) (compare ass (“sharp”)): this number was associated with the stretched fingers of both hands (without the thumb), i.e., 8 tips, points. There is some evidence that the original meaning of this word was 4 rather than 8, i.e., 4 stretched fingers of one hand (without the thumb). Cognates include Lithuanian aštuonì, Old Prussian asmus (“eighth”), Old Church Slavonic осмь (osmĭ), Russian во́семь (vósemʹ), Belarusian во́сем (vósjem), Ukrainian ві́сім (vísim), Bulgarian о́съм (ósǎm), Czech osm, Polish ośm, Gothic 𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌿 (ahtau), Old High German ahto, German acht, English eight, Proto-Scythian *aštā́, Sanskrit अष्ट (aṣṭá), Ancient Greek ὀκτώ (oktṓ), Latin octo.

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astoņi

1. eight (the cipher, the cardinal number eight)

   skaitīt līdz astoņi ― to count to eight

   četri un četri ir astoņi ― four plus four is eight

   uzrakstīt uz tāfeles astoņi ― to write an eight on the blackboard

   pie pieciem pielikt astoņus ― to add eight to four

2. eight (an amount equal to eight)

   astoņi cilvēki ― eight people

   sastapties pēc astoņiem gadiem ― to meet (someone) after eight years

   samaksāt astoņus latus ― to pay eight lats

   astoņus gadus veca meitene ― an eight-year-old girl

3. eight o'clock (a moment in time; eight hours after midnight, or after noon)

   pulkstenis ir astoņi ― it is eight o'clock

   celties astoņos no rīta ― to get up at eight o'clock in the morning

   izrāde sākas astoņos vakarā ― the show begins at eight o'clock in the evening

   bibliotēka bija atvērta līdz astoņiem vakarā ― the library was open until eight o'clock in the evening

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