Hight
/haɪt/noun
An archaic form meaning “was called” or “was named.”
Did you know?Medieval writers used hight in formulas such as “a knight hight Arthur,” meaning “a knight called Arthur,” reflecting the era’s powerful connection between naming and identity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*haitaną
“to call, name, or command”
Old English
Old English
hātan
“to call, name, command, or promise”
Old English
Old English
hǣtte
“was called or was named; the past-tense form of hātan”
Middle English
Middle English
hight
“was named or was called”
14th–16th Century
English
hight
“Used in literary and poetic expressions for “named” or “called””
Modern English
English
hight
“An archaic or poetic word meaning “was called,” now largely obsolete”