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. with OHG. éht, Goth. aiht-s; f. ágan to own, possess, pa. t. áhte. The ME. form with final -e is perhaps the OE. plural ǽhta ‘possessions, property,’ used collectively, and at length as a sing. In Scotch aucht (āuχt) is still a living word.]
1. Possession; that which one possesses as his own; property.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Mark x. 22. He hæfde mycele æhta.
c. 1160. Hatton G., ibid. He hæfde mycele ehte.
c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 233. Hit is muche sunne if mon echte luuieð.
c. 1205. Lay., 1311. Muchel ahte heo hæfden biwunnen.
a. 1230. Ancr. R., 214. Eorðlich eihte, nis buten eorðe & asken.
c. 1300. Cursor M., 3395. Bitwene his childre he delt his auȝt.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 6884. He highth hem aughtte and gret nobleys.
c. 1320. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 1101. He went hom with that eighte.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 11. To gif away my warldes aght.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, III. ii. 140. Assynging ilk ane propir houss and aucht.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., Table 81. The best aucht, sould be given to the maister.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., I. vii. 126. The surest gear in their aught.
1862. in Hislop, Prov. Scot., 36. Better saucht wi’ little aucht than care wi mony cows.
† 2. esp. Live stock, cattle. Obs.
c. 1200. St. Marharete, 2. Ant wiste … othe felt hire foster motheres ahte.
1297. R. Glouc., 537. Sir Jon Giffard nom to him is quic eiȝte ech on.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6765. Ox 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.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 29. To þe eiht-gradi men þe deuel runeð on his herte and þus queð. Ȝef þu best aihteles þu best unwurð and loð.
