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 (pluralays)
Alternative spelling of aye ("yes")
counting the ays and the noes in a vote
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishai, from Old Norseei, from Proto-Germanic*aiwaz(“eternity, age”), from Proto-Indo-European*h₂eyu-(“vitality”); cognate with Old Englishā, Ancient Greekἀεί(aeí, “always”), and Latinaevum(“an age”).
Alternative forms
aye
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /eɪ/
Rhymes: -eɪ
Homophones: A, eh
Adverb
ay (not comparable)
(archaic, poetic or Northern England) Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time.
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
always
continually
forever
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /eɪ/
Rhymes: -eɪ
Homophones: A, eh
Interjection
ay
New Zealand spelling of eh (question tag)
Further reading
Ay in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
Anagrams
YA, ya
Anguthimri
Noun
ay
(Mpakwithi) vegetable
References
Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 184
Azerbaijani
Etymology
From Proto-Turkic*āń(k). Cognate with Chuvashуйӑх(ujăh) See Turkishay for more cognates.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ɑj/
Noun
ay (definite accusativeayı, pluralaylar)
moon
month
date (day of the month)
Declension
Chavacano
Adverb
ay
Indicates the future tense.
Crimean Tatar
Etymology
From Proto-Turkic*āń(k)(“moon, month”). Compare Turkishay(“moon, month”).
Noun
ay
month
moon
Declension
References
Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary][2], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN
Czech
Interjection
ay
obsolete typography of aj
Gagauz
Etymology 1
From Proto-Turkic*āń(k)(“moon, month”). Compare Turkishay(“moon, month”).
Noun
ay (definite accusativeayı, pluralaylar)
moon
month
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Ancient Greekἅγιος(hágios).
Noun
ay (definite accusativeayı, pluralaylar)
saint
Highland Popoluca
Noun
ay
leaf
References
Elson, Benjamin F.; Gutiérrez G., Donaciano (1999) Diccionario popoluca de la Sierra, Veracruz (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 41)[3] (in Spanish), Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., →ISBN, page 10
Ladino
Etymology
From Old Spanishha i(“it has there”).
Verb
ay (Latin spelling)
there is, there are
Middle French
Verb
ay
first-person singular present indicative of avoir
Rayón Zoque
Noun
ay
leaf
brim(of a hat)
References
Harrison, Roy; B. de Harrison, Margaret; López Juárez, Francisco; Ordoñes, Cosme (1984) Vocabulario zoque de Rayón (Serie de diccionarios y vocabularios indígenas Mariano Silva y Aceves; 28)[4] (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 4
Scots
Etymology
Probably from a use of aye to express agreement.
Adverb
ay (not comparable)
yes
Somali
Noun
ay?
dog
Spanish
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈai/, [ˈai̯]
Homophone: hay
Rhymes: -ai
Etymology 1
Interjection
¡ay!
Ah!, Alas!
Woe!
Expresses pain, sorrow, or surprise.
Derived terms
ay ay ay
ay de mí
Etymology 2
Verb
ay
Obsolete spelling of hay
Further reading
“ay” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
Sranan Tongo
Noun
ay
Alternative spelling of ai.
Tagalog
Alternative forms
'y(elided form, informal, following a word ending with a vowel)
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ʔai/, [ʔaɪ̯]
Etymology 1
Cognate with Hanunooay.
Particle
ay
Copula, used in sentences written in the passive voice. Equivalent to forms of be.
Usage notes
This is usually elided to 'y following a word ending in a vowel in speech and casual writing.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Austronesian*ai.
Interjection
ay
General exclamation: alas; no; oh; oops
Turkish
Etymology 1
From Ottoman Turkishای (ay, “moon, month, crescent, a beautiful face”), آی (ay), from Proto-Turkic*āń(k)(“moon, month”).