(pron.), adv., adj. 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 eewicht, eawet, eawt, ewt. [f. OE. á, ó, ever + wiht creature, being, wight, whit, thing; lit. ‘e’er a whit,’ ‘anything whatever’; cogn. with OFris. âwet, âet, OS. êowiht, OHG. eowiht, iowiht, iawilt, iewiht, MHG. ieht, iht, iewet, iwet, iet, iut, Du. iet in iets. Already in OE. the full á-wiht was phonetically contracted through several stages to áht, whence regularly ME. ōht, ōght, mod. ought, the usual form in Eng. writers from 1300 to 1550. But there must also have been a form awht, aht, with the orig. 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 ought vb. In Shaks., Milton, Pope, ought and aught occur indiscriminately. The EE. eawiht, ewt seem to point to an OE. ǽwiht with umlaut.]
A. sb. (pron.) Anything whatever; anything. In interrogative, negative and conditional sentences.
α. Forms áwiht, aught.
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. lviii. 8. Nafast þú for áwiht ealle þéoda. Ibid., cxiii. 14. Ne máʓon hí áwyht ʓehýran. Ibid., cxliii. 4. Þæt þú him áht wið ǽfre hæfdest.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 103. Ȝif he awiht delan wule.
a. 1230. Ancr. R., 194. Er þan hi ham aȝt yeue.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4836. If we may find here aught to sell.
1388. Wyclif, Prov. x. 4. To gete auȝt [v.r. ony thing] bi leesyngis.
1574. trans. Marlorats Apocalips, 114. Those … cannot bereeue them of aught that is theirs.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., II. iii. 73. Before I make reply to aught you say.
1702. Pope, Jan. & May, 790. Excuse me, dear, if aught amiss was said.
1773. Goldsm., Stoops to Conq., III. i. (1854), 60. For aught I know to the contrary.
1859. Tennyson, Vivien, 239. Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.
β. Form ought. arch.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 65. Ȝif eni mon mis-deð us oht.
c. 1300. Cursor M., 4144. Quar-for suld we of oght be ferd?
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 251. Gyff man bad his thryll owcht do.
1382. Wyclif, Gal. vi. 3. If ony man gessith him silf for to be ouȝt.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), III. 39. Ȝif out schulde be wiþdrawe of þis law or put out more þerto.
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, I. ii. 3. Yf thou canst ought alledgen.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. 83. Whether he be ought or naught.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, V. iii. 281. It might be yours or hers for ought I know.
1728. Pope, Dunc., I. 24. Grieve not, my Swift, at ought our realm acquires.
1845–6. Trench, Huls. Lect., I. i. 9. Who that knows ought of what is going forward.
† γ. Forms eawiht, eawet, eawt, ewt. Obs.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 3. Ȝif eni man seid eawiht to eou.
c. 1220. Leg. St. Kath., 1193. For to drehen eawt. Ibid., 997. Butin ewt to leosen.
† B. adj. (Attributive use of prec. Cf. naught = worthless, found much earlier.) Anything worth, something worth; worthy, estimable, valiant, doughty. Obs.
[1086. O. E. Chron., 222. An man þe hym sylf aht wære.]
c. 1205. Lay., 8141. Ahte cniht wes Auelin. Ibid., 4348. Þu eær muchele ahtere. Ibid., 18426. And æuerælc ocht [1250 oht] mon: sterkliche heom legge on.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1477. Ȝef he is wurthful and aht man.
1297. R. Glouc., 183. Al þe bachelerye, Þat aȝt was in þe lond. Ibid., 459. As godemen & aȝte. Ibid., 569. Auȝte men inowe.
1340. Alex. & Dind., 936. Whan he is eldure of age · þat auht is his strenke.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 2215. If any wyȝe oȝt wyl wynne hider fast.
C. adv. [The accusative of the sb. used adverbially, as in ‘somewhat fresh,’ etc.] To any extent, in any degree, in any respect, ‘anything,’ at all.
c. 1205. Lay., 7027. Ȝif heo wes awiht hende.
c. 1300. Beket, 109. ‘If he me wolde spousi oȝt.’
c. 1340. Cursor M. (Gött.). 3828. ‘Knau ȝe aut,’ he said, ‘laban?’
c. 1386. Chaucer, Can. Yeom. Prol., 44. Can he ought telle a mery tale or tweye.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 62. Or thay flytt oght far us fro.
1577. Harrison, England, I. II. xxiii. 353. When rain doth ought annoie them.
1659. Fielder, in Burton, Diary (1828), IV. 129. It is against the order of your house to interpose aught.
1790. Cowper, Odyss., II. 373. Neither wise Are they, nor just, nor aught suspect the doom.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., I. I. 47. But none the glittering evil valued aught.
D. Comb. Aughtways adv., any way, in any wise.
1878. J. Thomson, Plenip. Key, 26. Let none be aughtways backward … To echo fervently this hymn of mine.
