Ay

Part of speech: interjection, noun

Definitions

1. A spoken yes or a vote in favor of a motion ; a cry used to show grief or regret ; an old-fashioned term meaning forever or at all times
2. Used to signal agreement or to cast a vote in favor ; a sigh-like exclamation of sadness or lament ; a dated word for continually or without end
3. A word of assent, the affirmative side of a vote ; an interjection voicing sorrow or distress ; a literary term for eternally or throughout all time

Etymology: The spelling "ay" covers three unrelated words that happen to look alike. The oldest is a cry of grief or pain, "alas," which probably grew from a natural exclamation and was likely also shaped by Old French "ahi" and "haï" and Middle French "aï." The second is "ay" meaning "always" or "ever," a shortened form of "aye." It goes back to a Germanic word that is cognate with Old English "ā" and, further back, with Ancient Greek "aeí," meaning "always," and Latin "aevum," meaning "an age." Its sense of "always" is therefore the same meaning that the Greek and Latin words carry. The third is "ay" meaning "yes," a variant of "aye." Its origin is uncertain, though it may be related to the interjections "eh" and "hey." It was popularized by a catchphrase on a 1970s sitcom.

Synonyms: yes, aye, yea

Antonyms: no, nay