oughten

English

Contraction

oughten

  1. (colloquial or dialectal) ought not, oughtn't
    I was jest a little child but I knowed I oughten to go without my clothes.

Anagrams

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Old English ūhtan, oblique singular and nominative/accusative plural of ūhta, from Proto-West Germanic *ų̄htwā, from Proto-Germanic *unhtwǭ.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈu(ː)x.tən/
  • IPA(key): /ˈɔx.tən/, /ˈɔu̯x.tən/ (possibly, with lowering)

Noun

oughten (plural *oughtens)

  1. (uncommon, poetic) the last part of the night, before dawn
    • (Can we date this quote?), The Ormulum, lines 2483-2484:
      Godess enngell comm himm to
      Onn uhhtenn þær he sleppte.
      An angel of God came to him
      Before dawn where he slept.
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