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aught¹ also ought

(ôt)

pron.

Anything whatever: "Neither of his parents had aught but praise for him" (Louis Auchincloss).

[Middle English, from Old English āuht; see aiw- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

aught²

(ôt)

The digit zero.

[From an aught, alteration of a naught; see NAUGHT.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices