adv
Meaning 1
Ever, always.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
aye
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/eɪ/
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rhymes with -eɪ
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homophone: A
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proscribed, sometimes: /aɪ/
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rhymes with -aɪ
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homophone: ay
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homophone: eye
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homophone: I
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/aɪ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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New-Zealand: [æe̯]
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CMU ARPABET: AY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
intj
Meaning 2
Yes; yea; a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Meaning 3
A word used to acknowledge a command from a superior, usually preceded by a verbatim repeat-back.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Meaning 4
Alternative spelling of ay (question tag).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: New-Zealand, alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Meaning 5
Alternative spelling of ay: expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Meaning 6
Used in aye aye.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Meaning 7
Alternative spelling of eh.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Multicultural-London-English, alt-of, alternative
Qualifier: regional African-American Vernacular
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 8
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 9
Abbreviation of Ayer Rajah Expressway.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Singapore, abbreviation, alt-of
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- to call for the ayes and nays
- The ayes have it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: yes
Antonyms: nay
verb
Meaning 11
To respond with an "aye".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ey- Proto-Indo-European *-u Proto-Indo-European *h2óyu Proto-Indo-European *-osinflu. Proto-Germanic *aiwazder. Old Norse eyder. Middle English ay English aye From Middle English ay, ai, aȝȝ, from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), from *aiwaz (“age; law”), from Proto-Indo-European *h2eyu- (“long time”). Doublet of aeviternity and aevum. See also Old English āwo, āwa, ā, ō, Middle Dutch ie, German je; also Old English ǣ(w) (“law”), West Frisian ieu (“century”), Dutch eeuw (“century”); also Irish aois (“age, period”), Breton oad (“age, period”), Latin ævum (“eternity”), Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn).
"Appears suddenly about 1575, and is exceedingly common about 1600." Probably from use of aye (“ever, always”) as expression of agreement or affirmation, or from Middle English a ye (“oh yes”), or synthesis of both. Compare Faroese ája (“certainly, ah yes”). More at oh, yea. Online Etymology Dictionary also with these posits a possible descent from I (as if clipped from e.g. "I assent").
Borrowed from Burmese အေး (e: /eì/).
Across languages
Translations
29 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Breton: ya — yes
- Chinese Mandarin: 嗯 (ǹg) — yes
- Chinese Mandarin: 对 (duì) — yes
- Chinese Mandarin: 是 (shì) — yes
- Chinese Mandarin: 没错 (méicuó) — yes
- Danish: javel — yes
- Finnish: jaa — yes
- Finnish: kyllä — yes
- French: oui — yes
- German: jawohl — yes
- Greek: ναι (nai) — yes
- Hungarian: igen — yes
- Irish: aidhe — yes
- Japanese: ええ — yes
- Japanese: はい — yes
- Korean: 예 (ye) — yes
- Neapolitan: sine — yes
- Persian: بله — yes
- Russian: есть (jestʹ) — yes
- Spanish: sí — yes
- Spanish: sé — yes
- Turkish: evet — yes
- Welsh: ie — yes
- Finnish: jaa-ääni — affirmative vote
- Korean: 가 (ga) — affirmative vote
- Polish: afirmatywa — affirmative vote
- Spanish: sí — affirmative vote
- Turkish: evet — affirmative vote
- Ukrainian: за (za) — affirmative vote