Aye

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aye¹

  • /eɪ/
  • /aɪ/ proscribed, sometimes

Sounds like A, ay, eye, I · Rhymes with -eɪ, -aɪ

Where it comes from

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 aevum (“eternity”), Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn).

adverb ay · oy

  1. archaic, not comparable Ever, always. […]Do that good miſcheefe, which may make this Iſland / Thine owne for euer, and I thy Caliban, / For aye thy foot-licker.

aye²

  • /aɪ/

Sounds like ay, eye, I · Rhymes with -aɪ

Where it comes from

"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").

interjection ay · oy

  1. Yes; yea; a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question. Tro[ylus]. Haue I not tarried? Pan[darus]. I the grinding; but you muſt tarry the boulting. Troy. Haue I not tarried? Paude.^([sic]) I the boulting; but you muſt tarry the leauening. Troy. Still haue I tarried. Pan. I, to the leauening, but heares yet in the word hereafter, the kneading, […]
  2. A word used to acknowledge a command from a superior, usually preceded by a verbatim repeat-back.

Similar: yes, yea

verb ayes · ayeing · aying · ayed · ay

  1. To respond with an "aye". The men ayed their agreement.

noun ayes · ay · oy

  1. An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative. to call for the ayes and nays

aye³

  • /eɪ/
  • [æe̯] New Zealand

interjection

  1. New Zealand, alternative Alternative spelling of ay (question tag).ay

aye⁴

  • /aɪ/

interjection

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of ay: expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.ay Iſt’s der? Keine Antwort? — Er iſt’s! Reinhold? Reinhold’, der boͤſe Feind jagt dich parforce! Ey, ey, ey! Welch Skandal!
  2. Used in aye aye.

aye⁵

  • /eɪ/

interjection

  1. Multicultural London English, alternative Alternative spelling of eh.eh

Aye⁶

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Burmese အေး (e: /⁠eì⁠/).

proper noun Ayes

  1. A surname.

AYE⁷

proper noun

  1. Singapore, abbreviation Abbreviation of Ayer Rajah Expressway.Ayer Rajah Expressway

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