▪ I.†aught,n.1 Obs.exc.dial.Forms: 1 æht, pl.æhta, 2–3 prop.pl.æhte, ehte, eahte, echte, 3 eiȝte, aihte, ahte, aȝte, 4 eyghte, eighte, ehte, aghte, aȝt, auht(e, auchte, auȝt(e, aughte, haut, ahut, 5 aght, aught, 6– (Sc.) aucht.[Common Teutonic:OE.ǽht is cogn. withOHG.éht,Goth.aiht-s;f.ágan to own, possess,pa.tense áhte. TheME.form with final -e is perhaps theOE.plural ǽhta ‘possessions, property,’ used collectively, and at length as asing.In Scotch aucht (ɑxt) is still a living word.]1.Possession; that which one possesses as his own; property.c1000Ags.Gosp.Mark x. 22He hæfde mycele æhta.
c1160Hatton G. ibid.,He hæfde mycele ehte.
c1175Cott.Hom.233Hit is muche sunne if mon echte luuieð.
1205Lay.1311Muchel ahte heo hæfden biwunnen.
c1230Ancr. R. 214Eorðlich eihte, nis buten eorðe & asken.
c1300Cursor M. 3395Bitwene his childre he delt his auȝt.
c1300K. Alis. 6884He highth hem aughtte and gret nobleys.
c1320Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1101He went hom with that eighte.
c1460TowneleyMyst.11To gif away my warldes aght.
1513Douglasæneis iii. ii. 140Assynging ilk ane propir houss and aucht.
1609SkeneReg.Maj. Table 81The best aucht, sould be given to the maister.
1823ScottQuentin D. I. vii. 126The surest gear in their aught.
1862in HislopProv.Scot.36Better saucht wi' little aucht than care wi' mony cows.
†2.esp.Live stock, cattle. Obs.c1200St.Marharete 2Ant wiste..othe felt hire foster motheres ahte.
1297R.Glouc.537Sir Jon Giffard nom to him is quic eiȝte ech on.
a1300Cursor M. 6765Ox or ass, or cou or scepe, Hors or ani oþer aght[v.r. aȝt, auht, auȝt].
†3.Comb., as aught-greedy (in 2 eiht-gradi), aughtless (in 2 aihteles). Obs.c1200Trin.Coll.Hom.29To þe eiht-gradi men þe deuel runeð on his herte and þus queð. Ȝef þu best aihteles þu best unwurð and loð.
▪ II.aught,n.2 (pron.),adv.,a.|ɔːt|Forms: α. 1 áwiht, áwuht, áwyht, áwht, áuht, áht, 1–3 awiht, awht, aht, 3 æht, 3–5 auht, 4 aȝt, aght, auȝht, aut, (ahut), 4– aught. β. 1 ówiht, ówuht, 3 oht, 3–5 oȝt, ocht, ouht, out, 3–6 oght, 4 ouȝt, (ohut, hout), 4–5 oucht, owcht, (9 dial.owt), 4– ought. γ. 2–3 eawiht, 3 eawicht, eawet, eawt, ewt.[f.OE.á, ó, ever + wiht creature, being, wight, whit, thing; lit.‘e'er a whit,’ ‘anything whatever’; cogn. withOFris.âwet, âet,OS.êowiht,OHG.eowiht, iowiht, iawiht, iewiht,MHG.ieht, iht, iewet, iwet, iet, iut,Du.iet in iets. Already inOE.the full á-wiht was phonetically contracted through several stages to áht, whence regularlyME.ōht, ōght,mod.ought, the usual form inEng.writers from 1300 to 1550. But there must also have been a form awht, aht, with theorig.long á shortened before the two consonants, whence regularly (as in caught, taught, etc.)ME.aht, aght,mod.aught, the spelling now preferred as distinguishing this word from oughtvb.InShakes., Milton, Pope, ought and aught occur indiscriminately. TheEE.eawiht, ewt seem to point to anOE.ǽwiht with umlaut.]A.n.(pron.) Anything whatever; anything. In interrogative, negative, and conditional sentences.(α)Forms áwiht, aught.a1000Ags.Ps.lviii. 8Nafast þú for áwiht ealle þéoda.
Ibid.cxiii. 14Ne máᵹon hí áwyht ᵹehýran.
Ibid.cxliii. 4Þæt þú him áht wið ǽfre hæfdest.
c1175Lamb.Hom.103Ȝif he awiht delan wule.
c1230Ancr. R. 194Er þan hi ham aȝt yeue.
a1300Cursor M. 4836If we may find here aught to sell.
1388WyclifProv.x. 4To gete auȝt[v.r. ony thing]bi leesyngis.
1574tr.Marlorats Apocalips 114Those..can⁓not bereeue them of aught that is theirs.
1593Shakes.Rich.II, ii. iii. 73Before I make reply to aught you say.
1702PopeJan. & May 790Excuse me, dear, if aught amiss was said.
1773Goldsm.Stoops to Conq. iii. i. (1854) 60For aught I know to the contrary.
1859TennysonVivien 239Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.
(β)Form ought. arch.c1175Lamb.Hom.65Ȝif eni mon mis-deð us oht.
c1300Cursor M. 4144Quar-for suld we of oght be ferd?
1375BarbourBruce i. 251Gyff man bad his thryll owcht do.
1382WyclifGal.vi. 3If ony man gessith him silf for to be ouȝt.
1387TrevisaHigden (Rolls) III. 39Ȝif out schulde be wiþdrawe of þis law or put out more þerto.
1413Lydg.Pylgr. i. ii. 3Yf thou canst ought alledgen.
1583StubbesAnat.Abus. ii. 83Whether he be ought or naught.
1601Shakes.All's Well v. iii. 281It might be yours or hers for ought I know.
1728PopeDunc. i. 24Grieve not, my Swift, at ought our realm acquires.
1845–6TrenchHuls.Lect.i. i. 9Who that knows ought of what is going forward.
†(γ)Forms eawiht, eawet, eawt, ewt. Obs.c1175Lamb.Hom.3Ȝif eni man seid eawiht to eou.
c1220Leg.St.Kath. 1193For to drehen eawt.
Ibid.997Butin ewt to leosen.
†B.adj.(Attributive use ofprec.Cf.naught=worthless, found much earlier.) Anything worth, something worth; worthy, estimable, valiant, doughty. Obs.[1086O.E.Chron.222An man þe hym sylf aht wære.]
1205Lay.8141Ahte cniht wes Auelin.
Ibid.4348Þu eær muchele ahtere.
Ibid.18426And æuerælc ocht[1250 oht]mon? sterkliche heom legge on.
a1250Owl & Night. 1477Ȝef he is wurthful and aht man.
1297R.Glouc.183Al þe bachelerye, Þat aȝt was in þe lond.
Ibid.459As godemen & aȝte.
Ibid.569Auȝte men inowe.
1340Alex. & Dind. 936Whan he is eldure of age · þat auht is his strenke.
c1340Gaw. &Gr.Knt. 2215If any wyȝe oȝt wyl wynne hider fast.
C.adv.[The accusative of then.used adverbially, as in ‘somewhat fresh,’ etc.]To any extent, in any degree, in any respect, ‘anything,’ at all.c1205Lay.7027Ȝif heo wes awiht hende.
c1300Beket 109‘If he me wolde spousi oȝt.’
c1340Cursor M. (Gött.) 3828‘Knau ȝe aut,’ he said, ‘laban?’
c1386ChaucerCan. Yem.Prol.44Can he ought telle a mery tale or tweye.
a1460TownleyMyst.62Or thay flytt oght far us fro.
1577HarrisonEngland i. ii. xxiii. 353When rain doth ought annoie them.
1659Fielder in BurtonDiary (1828) IV. 129It is against the order of your house to interpose aught.
1790CowperOdyss. ii. 373Neither wise Are they, nor just, nor aught suspect the doom.
1870MorrisEarthly Par. I. i. 47But none the glittering evil valued aught.
D.Comb.aughtways adv., any way, in any wise.1878J. ThomsonPlenip. Key 26Let none be aughtways backward..To echo fervently this hymn of mine.
▪ III.aughtpa.tense of agan: see owe, ought.▪ IV.aught(eobs.anddial.form of eight.
