/ɔt/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
Etymology
From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t.
Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).
Meanings
(alt-of, alternative, auxiliary, dialectal, formal, not-comparable) Alternative spelling of aught; at all, to any degree.
/ɔt/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
Etymology
From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t.
Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).
Meanings
(auxiliary, dialectal, formal, qualifier:metaphysics) A statement of what ought to be the case as contrasted with what is the case.
There are value judgments that are not reducible to observable matters of fact, and there are oughts that cannot be construed as hypothetical and, therefore, cannot be converted into statements of fact. 1996, Mortimer Jerome Adler, The Time of Our Lives: The Ethics of Common Sense:
Is there a fallacy involved in deriving an ought from a set of exclusively factual or descriptive premises? 2004, Jacques Maritain, John G. Trapani, Truth Matters: Essays in Honor of Jacques Maritain:
/ɔt/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
Etymology
From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t.
Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).
Meanings
(alt-of, alternative, auxiliary, dialectal, formal) Alternative spelling of aught; anything
Is it a small benefit, that I am placed there […] where I see no drunken comessations, no rebellious routs, no violent oppressions, no obscene rejoicings, nor ought else that might either vex or affright my soul? 1658, Joseph Hall, The Devout Soul, Or, Rules of Heavenly Devotion Also the Free Prisoner, Or, the Comfort of Restraint:
/ɔt/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
Etymology
From Middle English oughte, aughte, aȝte, ahte, from Old English āhte, first and third person singular past tense of Old English āgan (“to own, possess”), equivalent to owe + -t.
Cognate with Sanskrit ईश्वर (īśvará, “capable of, liable”).
Meanings
(auxiliary, dialectal, formal) Indicating duty or obligation.
There was a certayne lender / which had two detters / the one ought five hondred pence / and the other fifty. 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke vij:[41], folio lxxxvj, recto:
[…]witneſſe Ariſtippus, who being vrged with the affection he ought his children, as proceeding from his loynes, began to ſpeake and ſpit[…]. 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of Friendship”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 90:
(auxiliary, dialectal, formal) Indicating advisability or prudence.
Do you think we ought to leave now?
You ought to always stand back from the edge of the platform.
(auxiliary, dialectal, formal) Indicating likelihood or probability.
My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter III, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
We ought to arrive by noon if we take the motorway, shouldn't we?
da burde (indicating duty or obligation) · fr devoir (indicating duty or obligation) · es deber (indicating likelihood or probability) · grc ὀφείλω (indicating duty or obligation) · da burde (indicating advisability or prudence) · eo devi (indicating duty or obligation) · sv borde (indicating likelihood or probability) · cy dylu (indicating duty or obligation) · gl deber (indicating duty or obligation) · fi kuulua (indicating duty or obligation) · sh trebati (indicating advisability or prudence) · uk ва́рто (indicating advisability or prudence) · sh trebati (indicating duty or obligation) · sv borde (indicating desirability) · fa بهتر بودن (indicating advisability or prudence) · vi cần (indicating duty or obligation) · gl ter de (indicating duty or obligation) · ru скоре́е всего́ (indicating likelihood or probability) · da burde (indicating desirability) · ru мочь (indicating likelihood or probability) · hu jobb lenne (indicating advisability or prudence) · uk слід (indicating advisability or prudence) · ru жела́тельно (indicating desirability) · fa باید (indicating likelihood or probability) · fi tulla (indicating duty or obligation) · es deber (indicating duty or obligation) · es deber (indicating desirability) · uk пови́нен (indicating duty or obligation) · ru быть (indicating advisability or prudence) · it dovere (indicating likelihood or probability) · de sollen (indicating duty or obligation) · pt dever (indicating advisability or prudence) · la dēbeō (indicating duty or obligation) · km គួរតែ (indicating duty or obligation) · uk пе́вно (indicating likelihood or probability) · hu kell (indicating duty or obligation) · sv borde (indicating advisability or prudence) · vi phải (indicating duty or obligation) · de sollen (indicating advisability or prudence) · cy dylu (indicating advisability or prudence) · nl moeten (indicating duty or obligation) · nl behoren (indicating duty or obligation) · be паві́нен (indicating duty or obligation) · uk слід (indicating desirability) · pt dever (indicating likelihood or probability) · ru предположи́тельно (indicating likelihood or probability) · sh morati (indicating likelihood or probability) · ru сле́довать (indicating desirability) · be паві́нна (indicating duty or obligation) · ru сле́довать (indicating advisability or prudence) · hu kellene (indicating desirability) · hu kellene (indicating advisability or prudence) · dsb dejaś (indicating duty or obligation) · pl powinien (indicating desirability) · fi pitää (indicating desirability) · fr devoir (indicating advisability or prudence) · ru ну́жно (indicating advisability or prudence) · hu -hatna (indicating desirability) · sh trebati (indicating likelihood or probability) · pl powinien (indicating advisability or prudence) · fi pitää (indicating likelihood or probability) · hu -hetne (indicating desirability) · pt dever (indicating duty or obligation) · el θα έπρεπε (indicating duty or obligation) · oc dever (indicating duty or obligation) · sh morati (indicating duty or obligation) · fr devoir (indicating desirability) · ru до́лжен (indicating duty or obligation) · fi pitää (indicating duty or obligation) · fi pitää (indicating advisability or prudence) · es deber (indicating advisability or prudence) · fr devoir (indicating likelihood or probability) · el όφειλε (indicating duty or obligation) · fa باید (indicating duty or obligation) · ru ну́жно (indicating desirability) · be паві́нны (indicating duty or obligation) · it dovere (indicating duty or obligation) · de sollen (indicating likelihood or probability) · hu kéne (indicating desirability) · uk зобов'я́заний (indicating duty or obligation) · de sollen (indicating desirability) · ru обя́зан (indicating duty or obligation) · uk ва́рто (indicating desirability) · uk му́сить (indicating duty or obligation) · oc deure (indicating duty or obligation) · yi זאָלן (indicating duty or obligation) · cy dylu (indicating desirability) · el πρέπει (indicating advisability or prudence) · pt dever (indicating desirability) · da burde (indicating likelihood or probability) · ru вероя́тно (indicating likelihood or probability) · sh trebati (indicating desirability) · it dovere (indicating advisability or prudence) · sv borde (indicating duty or obligation) · hu bizonyára (indicating likelihood or probability) · pl powinien (indicating duty or obligation) · pl powinien (indicating likelihood or probability) · fa باید (indicating advisability or prudence) · hu érdemes lenne (indicating advisability or prudence) · la dēbeō (indicating advisability or prudence) · uk мабу́ть (indicating likelihood or probability)
ought en · NOUN · etymology 2
Meanings
(alt-of, alternative, auxiliary, dialectal, formal) Alternative spelling of aught; cipher, zero, nought.
I go back at eight o'clock to-morrow morning, and have got only three—three oughts an ought—three twos six—sixty pound. 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, “Nicholas and His Uncle (to Secure the Fortune Without Loss of Time) Wait upon Mr. Wackford Squeers, the Yorkshire Schoolmaster”, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 24: