eight-year-old
UK[ˌeɪt jɪər ˈəʊld]US[ˌeɪt jɪr ˈoʊld]
adj
Being eight years of age.
n
A person or animal that is eight years old.
Morpheme Breakdown
eight
year
old
eight
numeral
year
time unit
old
adjective
Etymology
The compound "eight-year-old" follows a productive English pattern for forming age-related adjectives and nouns. Its components trace back to core Germanic vocabulary: "eight" from Proto-Germanic ahtōu, "year" from jērą, and "old" from aldaz. The hyphenated structure, where the unit "year" remains singular, grammaticalizes the concept into a single descriptor. This logical construction, combining a precise numeral with a standardized measure of time and a state of being, efficiently encodes a specific point in a lifespan, a concept essential for descriptive language.
Analysis
Structure: eight (numeral) + year (time unit) + old (adjective)
- eight: From Old English 'eahta', of Proto-Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'acht' and German 'acht'. Functions as a cardinal numeral.
- year: From Old English 'gēar', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'jaar' and German 'Jahr'. Functions as a noun denoting a time period.
- old: From Old English 'ald', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'oud' and German 'alt'. Functions as an adjective describing age.
Examples
Their eight-year-old daughter just learned to ride a bike.
The film is suitable for eight-year-olds.
He bought a gift for his eight-year-old nephew.