Eightetithe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tax or levy amounting to one-eighth of a tenth, historically paid as a portion of produce or income
2. The portion of produce or income equal to one-eighth of a tithe, which was owed to the church or a landholder
3. An eighth share of the traditional tenth part of one's yield or earnings, collected as a form of religious or customary dues

Etymology: In medieval and early modern England, a tithe was a levy of a tenth of produce owed to the Church, and "tithe" comes from Old English "teogotha," meaning "tenth." "Eightetithe" is a rarer compound that puts "eight" in front of that old word, so it names a payment of one-eighth rather than one-tenth. The name thus keeps the tenth-based element even though the amount differs. It belongs to a small group of compounds built on "tithe," such as "ninth" and "eighth" as alternative shares of a levy, reflecting how varying fractions of produce were assessed in different places and periods.