eighty

eighty

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Pronunciation

eighty: /ˈeɪ.ti/

• First Syllable: /eɪ/

• /eɪ/: Diphthong (as in "day")

• Second Syllable: /ti/

• /t/: Voiceless alveolar plosive (as in "top")

• /i/: High front unrounded vowel (as in "fleece")

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Word Form Variations

"Eighty" is primarily a numeral and therefore does not have typical singular/plural or other word form variations like most nouns, verbs, or adjectives. It functions as a fixed quantity.

However, it can be used in different grammatical contexts:

• Cardinal Number: eighty (e.g., "eighty dollars")

• Noun (referring to the number itself or a group of eighty):

• eighties (plural, referring to a decade, e.g., "the 1980s," or a person's age range, e.g., "in his eighties")

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Numeral

• Definition: The cardinal number equivalent to the product of eight and ten; one more than seventy-nine and one less than eighty-one. Represented by the numeral 80.

• Synonyms: fourscore (archaic)

• Antonyms: None (as it represents a specific quantity)

Noun

• Definition 1 (often capitalized as "the Eighties"): The decade from 1980 to 1989, inclusive.

• Example: "The music of the eighties was heavily influenced by synthesizers."

• Synonyms: The 1980s

• Antonyms: The seventies (1970s), the nineties (1990s)

• Definition 2 (used in plural "eighties"): The range of ages from eighty to eighty-nine, inclusive, especially referring to a person's age.

• Example: "She was still very active in her eighties."

• Synonyms: advanced age (in context), old age (in context)

• Antonyms: childhood, youth, twenties, thirties (etc.)

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Examples of Use

Books:

• "He had lived in the village for eighty years, and knew every stone and every tree." (Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude)

• "The journey, which usually took a mere ten minutes, stretched to nearly eighty." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Newspapers:

• "The proposed budget includes an allocation of eighty million shillings for infrastructure development." (Daily Nation)

• "A rare manuscript, believed to be over eighty years old, was recently discovered in the national archives." (The Guardian)

Online Publications:

• "The article, published online, garnered over eighty thousand views within its first day." (TechCrunch)

• "According to the latest survey, eighty percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the new policy." (Pew Research Center)

Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Film: "Back to the Future" features the iconic DeLorean time machine, which needs to reach eighty-eight miles per hour to travel through time. (Universal Pictures, Back to the Future)

• Music (Song Title): "80's Comedown Machine" by The Strokes. The number "80" here refers to the decade. (The Strokes, Comedown Machine)

• Television (Show Title): "That '80s Show" (Fox). This title directly references the decade.

• Video Games: "Grand Theft Auto V" often features missions or challenges that require players to reach a certain speed, for example, "Hit eighty MPH in the new sports car." (Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V)

• Podcasts: "In this episode, we delve into the cultural shifts of the eighties, examining how music, fashion, and politics intertwined." (You're Wrong About, [Example of a historical or cultural podcast])

General Public Discourse:

• Casual Conversation: "I can't believe he's already eighty! He still looks so spry."

• Instructions/Directions: "Drive for about eighty kilometers, then take the first exit."

• Pricing/Quantities: "That antique vase is going for eighty dollars."

• Age: "My grandmother is in her eighties, but she still goes for a walk every day."

• Rules/Regulations: "The speed limit on this stretch of road is eighty kilometers per hour."

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10 Famous Quotes Using Eighty

1. "A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." (George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman) - This quote doesn't contain "eighty" directly, but it speaks to the wisdom accumulated over a lifetime, often associated with reaching an age like eighty.

2. "The eighty-year-old is a master of endurance." (Chinese Proverb)

3. "I've always said, I want to be sixty when I'm fifty, and seventy when I'm sixty, and eighty when I'm seventy." (Tom Jones, interview quote)

4. "By the time you are eighty years old you will have learned everything. It's just a matter of remembering it." (George Burns)

5. "I don't think I'll still be performing at eighty, but I'm open to it." (Paul McCartney, interview quote)

6. "Life begins at eighty." (Attributed to various sources, often humorous takes on aging)

7. "When you're eighty years old, you'll want to remember this day." (Unknown)

8. "It is never too late to be what you might have been." (George Eliot) - Similar to quote 1, this quote speaks to the idea of lifelong potential, even into old age.

9. "He was an eighty-year-old with the heart of a twenty-year-old." (Common descriptive phrase)

10. "The wisdom of an eighty-year-old man can guide a nation." (African Proverb)

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Etymology

The word "eighty" has a history that goes way back in the English language!

It comes from Old English, which was spoken before 1150 AD. In Old English, the word was "hundeahtatiġ" or sometimes just "eahtatiġ".

Let's break that down:

• "eahta" meant "eight"

• "-tiġ" was a suffix that indicated a group of ten, so "eahtatiġ" literally meant "eight tens."

• "hund-" was a prefix that meant "hundred" or "group," often used with numbers that were multiples of ten. So, "hundeahtatiġ" meant "a group of eighty."

Over time, as English evolved into Middle English, that long "hundeahtatiġ" simplified to things like "eiȝti," "eyȝty," and "aghty." Eventually, it became the "eighty" we know today.

So, the first known use of "eighty" (or its earlier forms) was in the Old English period (before 1150 AD), and its meaning was always consistently "eight times ten," referring to the cardinal number 80.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Eighty

1. Eighty-six (86): To get rid of something, especially from a menu item in a restaurant, or to eject someone. (e.g., "The chef had to eighty-six the special; they ran out of ingredients.")

2. In one's eighties: Referring to a person's age when they are between 80 and 89 years old. (e.g., "She's still very active in her eighties.")

3. The Roaring Eighties: A less common, but sometimes used, phrase referring to the 1980s, often with a similar feel to "The Roaring Twenties" to denote a period of significant change or exuberance.

4. Eighty-twenty rule (Pareto principle): The observation that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. (e.g., "We need to apply the eighty-twenty rule to our marketing strategy; focus on the 20% of clients that bring in 80% of our revenue.")

5. A good eighty percent: Indicating a large majority or a significant portion. (e.g., "A good eighty percent of the work is already done.")

6. Eighty-yard dash: A specific distance in running, often used in athletic contexts.

7. Eighty miles an hour: A common speed reference, especially for vehicles. (e.g., "He was driving eighty miles an hour down the highway.")

8. "Eighty days around the world": A direct reference to Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days, often used to imply a long journey or adventure.

9. A count of eighty: Referring to a specific tally or score. (e.g., "The final count was eighty to seventy.")

10. The fourscore years: An archaic but poetic way of saying eighty years (since a score is twenty). (e.g., "He lived to see his fourscore years.")

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of eighty from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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