Heigh

Part of speech: interjection

Definitions

1. An old-fashioned interjection shouted to show encouragement, surprise or to get someone's attention
2. A cry used to rouse spirits, express wonder, or call out to others in a lively or playful way
3. A short exclamation of cheer, astonishment or summons, often heard in folk songs and rustic speech

Etymology: "Heigh" is one of several Middle English exclamations, spelled heigh, hey, hay, hei and heh, that were used to attract attention, express delight, or hail someone. Its origin is thought to be imitative, meaning it likely grew out of the sound of a shout or call rather than from an existing word with a fixed meaning. That is why the spellings varied so freely: writers recorded a sound that had no settled form. The same cry survives in its close relatives. "Hey" and "eh" come from the same family of sounds, and the shared pattern of a rising, open vowel makes these interjections easy to recognize across English. "Heigh" kept the older, fuller spelling and became associated with a cheerful, slightly old-fashioned summons, the sort of call that sounds more at home in a folk song or a children's story than in ordinary conversation.

Synonyms: hey, hello