Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Ay

Ay

,
int
erj.
Ah! alas!
“Ay me! I fondly dream ‘Had ye been there.’”
Milton.

Ay

,
adv.
Same as
Aye
.
{

Aye

,

Ay

}
,
adv.
[Perh. a modification of
yea
, or from the interjection of admiration or astonishment, OE.
ei
,
ey
, why, hey, ay, well, ah, ha. Cf. MHG. & G.
ei
, Dan.
ej
. Or perh. akin to
aye
ever.]
Yes; yea; – a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question. It is much used in viva voce voting in legislative bodies, etc.
☞ This word is written I in the early editions of Shakespeare and other old writers.
{

Aye

,

Ay

}
,
adv.
[Icel.
ei
,
ey
; akin to AS.
ā
,
āwa
, always, Goth.
aiws
an age, Icel.
æfi
, OHG,
[GREEK]wa
, L.
aevum
, Gr. [GREEK] an age, [GREEK], [GREEK], ever, always, G.
je
, Skr.
[GREEK]va
course. [GREEK], [GREEK]. Cf.
Age
,
Verb.
,
Either
,
Adj.
,
Or
,
conj
.]
Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time.
For his mercies
aye
endure.
Milton.
For aye
,
always
; forever; eternally.

Webster 1828 Edition

Ay

AY

,

Definition 2024

Ay

Ay

See also: ay, AY, aý, aþ, -ay, ấy, āy, and -aþ

Finnish

Abbreviation

Ay

  1. An unofficial abbreviation of avoin yhtiö ‎(“general partnership”).

Usage notes

The abbreviation is said to be unofficial because it is not accepted as part of the registered name of a company.

Turkish

Etymology

From Old Turkic ay, from Proto-Turkic.

Proper noun

Ay

  1. A male given name
  2. A female given name
  3. (astronomy) Moon (sole natural satellite of the Earth)

Declension

Derived terms

ay

ay

See also: Ay, AY, aý, aþ, -ay, ấy, āy, and -aþ

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aɪ/ (interjection)
    • Rhymes: -aɪ
    • Homophones: aye, eye, I

Interjection

ay

  1. Ah! alas!
  2. Alternative spelling of aye ("yes")
    • 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Chapter V
      "Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow," quoth Robin, "thou seemest happy this merry morn."
      "Ay, that am I," quoth the jolly Butcher, "and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?"

Noun

ay ‎(plural ays)

  1. Alternative spelling of aye ("yes")
    counting the ays and the noes in a vote

Etymology 2

From Middle English ai, from Old Norse ei, from Proto-Germanic *aiw-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- ‎(“vitality”); cognate with Old English ā, Ancient Greek ἀεί ‎(aeí, “always”), and Latin aevum ‎(“an age”).

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /eɪ/ (adverb, adjective)
    • Rhymes: -eɪ
    • Homophones: A, eh

Adverb

ay ‎(not comparable)

  1. Always; ever.
    • 1670, John Barbour, The Acts and Life of the most victorious Conquerour Robert Bruce King of Scotland, as cited in 1860, Thomas Corser, Collectanea Anglo-poetica, page 160
      O he that hath ay lived free, [...]
Synonyms

Adjective

ay ‎(not comparable)

  1. For an indefinite time.

Interjection

ay

  1. New Zealand spelling of eh (question tag)

Anagrams

Azeri

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *āń(k) ‎(“moon, month”). Compare Turkish ay ‎(“moon, month”).

Noun

Other scripts
Cyrillic ај
Roman ay
Perso-Arabic آی

ay ‎(definite accusative ayı, plural aylar)

  1. moon
  2. month

Declension

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *āń(k) ‎(“moon, month”). Compare Turkish ay ‎(“moon, month”).

Noun

ay

  1. month
  2. moon

Declension

References

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary], Simferopol: Dolya, ISBN 966-7980-89-8

Gagauz

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *āń(k) ‎(“moon, month”). Compare Turkish ay ‎(“moon, month”).

Noun

ay ‎(definite accusative ayı, plural aylar)

  1. moon
  2. month

Etymology 2

Borrowing from Ancient Greek ἅγιος ‎(hágios).

Noun

ay ‎(definite accusative ayı, plural aylar)

  1. saint

Ladino

Etymology

From Old Spanish ha i ‎(“it has there”).

Verb

ay ‎(Latin spelling)

  1. there is, there are

Middle French

Verb

ay

  1. first-person singular present indicative of avoir

Scots

Etymology

Probably from a use of aye to express agreement.

Adverb

ay ‎(not comparable)

  1. yes

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ai/
  • Homophone: hay

Interjection

¡ay!

  1. Ah!, Alas!
  2. Woe!
  3. Expresses pain, sorrow, or surprise.
  4. A stereotypical sound of a Latino or Latina (e.g. ¡Ay Papi!, something like saying "Oh Baby!")

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English eye.

Noun

ay

  1. eye

Tagalog

Preposition

ay

  1. Equality marker. It can be translated as is, am, are, was, will be, etc., but functions as a preposition, not a verb.
  2. Verb/predicate marker. Only used when the verb or predicate does not begin the sentence.

Turkish

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish ای ‎(āy, “moon, month, crescent, a beautiful face”), آي ‎(ay), from Proto-Turkic *āń(k) ‎(“moon, month”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aj/

Noun

ay ‎(definite accusative ayı, plural aylar)

  1. moon
  2. month
Declension
Derived terms
Related terms

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish آى ‎(ay!), akin to Karakhanid [script needed] ‎(ay!, “oh!”), Old Uighur [script needed] ‎(ay!, “oh!”)

Interjection

ay

  1. exclamation of surprise, shock or fear: oh!
    Ay kim gelmiş!‎ ― Oh (look) who is (apparently) here!
  2. exclamation of pain: ouch!
    Ay, başım!‎ ― Ouch, my head (hurt)!
Related terms
See also

References

  1. ↑ Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Anna; Mudrak, Oleg (2003), “*āń(k)”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill

Etymology

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