Fy

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An old-fashioned exclamation used to show disgust, scorn or disapproval at something improper
2. A archaic interjection voiced to express distaste or reproach toward a thing that offends the speaker
3. Obsolete exclamation of reproach or revulsion, once used to condemn behaviour or remarks thought shameful

Etymology: "Fy" is an archaic spelling of "fie", the interjection used to express disgust or to rebuke someone for behaviour that deserves shame. The word is imitative in spirit: it is a cry of revulsion that English shares with its Scandinavian neighbours, and the Swedish "fy" is a close relative of the same exclamation. Its exact ancestry is murky. Scholars generally trace it to a Germanic root, with a likely contribution from Old Norse, and it sits among a family of short, emphatic interjections that developed independently across the languages of northern Europe. Many people who meet the spelling "fy" today assume it is a modern shorthand or a typo, but it is simply the older way of writing the same word. The longer spelling "fie" eventually took over in standard English, so "fy" now mostly appears in older texts and deliberately archaic writing.

Synonyms: fie, shame