ottanta

Ottanta is the Italian word for the number eighty. It serves as a cardinal numeral in counting, ages, dates, and other quantities, and is also used to label the decade that roughly corresponds to the 1980s in Italy and in contexts influenced by Italian language.

Etymology and form: Ottanta derives from Latin octoginta, passing into Italian through the historical development of the language. The modern form ottanta is the standard Italian representation of the numeral eighty.

Cultural and linguistic usage: In addition to its mathematical function, ottanta is used in Italian culture to evoke the decade known as gli anni Ottanta. The term appears in media, popular discourse, and titles to signal the 1980s era or a thematic reference to that period. It can also appear as part of phrases describing age, milestones, or vintages associated with the number eighty.

Variations and related terms: While ottanta denotes eighty, related expressions include ottant’anni (eighty years), ottantuno (eighty-one), and other numerals formed in the same pattern as Italian numbers. The concept of ottanta is frequently linked to historical, cultural, and stylistic attributes attributed to the 1980s in Italian-speaking contexts.

See also: Anni Ottanta; Italian numbers; octoginta (Latin).