Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1937 (DOST Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Aucht, num. Also: acht, awcht, auchte, auchtt, auht, auch; awgh(t, aught. [Northern ME. acht, aght, aht, ONhb. æhto, eahtu, OE. eahta (ahta).] Eight.

1. With nouns.(a) 1375 Barb. vi. 256.
Aucht men tharwith has he slane Ib. xi. 523.
Aucht hundreth armyt … thai weir 1389 Wemyss Chart. 24.
Aucht penys of syluer c1420 Wynt. I. 694.
Sum … hawys … on ilke fut aucht tayis Ib. 710.
Sum … passys nocht aucht yhere of lyve Ib. v. 399.
Twenty yhere … and dayis awcht 1434 Liber Coll. Glasg. 249.
Sex syllingis and acht penys 1488 Liber Aberbr. 259.
A chaldir and aucht bollis off beir 1496 Acts II. 238/1.
Fra thai be aucht or nyne ȝeiris of age c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxvi. 43.
On thair conscience … May turne aucht oxin and ane wane 15.. Clar. iv. 813.
Aucht knightis And awght squyeris Ib. 870.
Awcht scheildis c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 532.
Barnis aucht or nyne a1578 Pitsc. I. 58/6.
Scho buire aught bairnes 1585 James VI Ess. 60.
Gif your lyne be of aucht fete 1603 Moysie 16.
We will call unto ws acht noble men 1606 Glasg. Chart. I. dcxviii.
Sex schillingis aucht pennyis 1632 Montgomery Mem. 291.
A … ring with aucht sparks lyke saphirs 1650–1 Misc. Spald. C. V. 177.
For aucht trees to holde the aill 1665 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 221.
Aught shilling aught pennies(b) 1458 Reg. Great S. 143/1.
Of ilke last of hidis … auch pennys 1542 Grant Chart. 89.
Auch drawand oxin 1547 Reg. Cupar A. II. 48.
Sex schillingis auch penneis

b. Aucht dayis, a week and a day; a full week. This day aucht days, this day week; was aucht nichtis, a week ago.(1) 1507 Edinb. Chart. 191.
For the space of acht dais or fiftene dais … thairefter folowing to continew 1559 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 265.
I passit on Pasch evin till Ayr, and thair remainit aught dayis 1571 Black Bk. Taymouth 137.
Fra that furth quhyl the xxii day of Marche gret frost that no plwis ȝyd quhil aucht dayis eftyr 1596 Paisley B. Rec. 171.
Provyding gif he pey ten merks within aucht dayis 1672 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 278.
Ane knock of brase which sould goe auch days(2) 1448 Edinb. B. Rec. 7.
Endurand quhill that day awcht dayes 1560 Rolland Seven S. 289/23.
This day aucht dayis the battell suld be done 1571 St. A. Kirk S. 357.
The seat asinnis this action to this day aucht dayis 1597 Misc. Spald. C. I. 89.
That sam day aucht dayis, at the sam hour 1607 Kinghorn Kirk S. 9.
Upon Sunday was auchte nichtis Ib. 14.
To compeir this day aucht dayis 1609 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 70.
James Dwn … is injoyned to cum this day aucht dayes

c. Aucht houris, eight o'clock. (Cf. Hour n.) 1473 Liber Coll. Glasg. 186.
Til say a mes … betuix sewine and acht owris 15.. Clar. ii. 189.
It was neir awcht houris in the day 1593 Reg. Morton I. 182.
We … desyre you … to be heir … be aucht houris in the morning

d. In attributive combs., as aucht houris bell, aucht penny brede, aucht schilling land, etc. 1532 Reg. Privy S. II. 166/1.
The auch schilling land of ald extent of Mylmure landis 1550 Prot. Bk. J. Cristisone 100.
His auht oxingang tack of Balhagarte 1551 Edinb. B. Rec. II. 157.
Twa penny breid, four penny breid, and aucht penny breid 1571 Lanark B. Rec. 55.
Fra aucht houris bell ring 1592 Aboyne Rec. 175.
Aucht, four, and twa pennie peicis 1619 Dundee B. Laws 348.
Ane aucht pennie loaf

2. Forming part of higher numbers. 1388 Bamff Chart. 22.
The yhere of oure Lorde j^m ccc. fowrescore ande acht 1388 Douglas Chart. 33.
The yeir of wr Lord a thvsand thre hondir achty and acht 1438 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 266.
A thousande four hundreth therty and acht yher 1491 Treas. Acc. I. 166.
In the ȝere of God … auchty and aucht ȝeris c1520-c1535 Nisbet John v. 5.
A man was thare, having aucht and thretty ȝeris in his seekness 1548 Reg. Eccl. S. Trin. 217.
The yheyr of God ane thowsand fyfe hwnder xl and awcht yheyris 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Serplath.
Sex Sprusse stane conteinis twentie aucht pound Trois weicht 1690 Douglas Corr. 265.
It coms only to a thovsand thritie avghtt povnd

3. Used absolutely. ?1438 Alex. i. 2393.
That he bair doun weill aucht or ma c 1567 Melville Corr. 232.
Theyre is four hundrethe [stanes] lakkyng awght or nyne 1585 James VI Ess. 89.
Tak heid, quhen ȝour lyne is of fourtene, that ȝour sectioun in aucht be a lang monosyllabe 1615 Highland P. III. 195.
Accumpaneid with sevin or aucht of the clan Allaster 1633 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. App. IX. 51.
At aught a clok in the morning 1653 Nicoll Diary 117.
Aucht aclok in the foirnune

b. Ryal of aucht, a ‘real of eight’; the eighth part of a dollar. 1654 Aberd. B. Rec. IV. 144.
The number of tuentie sewine ryallis of aught belonging to the kirkwork