. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Translingual
Etymology
A late borrowing from the Ancient Greek letter Υ ( U , “ ypsilon ” ) , first used to write Greek loanwords in Latin, derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤅 ( w , “ waw ” ) , from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓏲 . Doublet of U and V .
Letter
Y (lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet .
See also
Symbol
Y
( chemistry ) Symbol for yttrium
( metrology ) Symbol for prefix yotta-
( genetics ) IUPAC 1-letter abbreviation for any pyrimidine
( biochemistry ) IUPAC 1-letter abbreviation for tyrosine
( travel , aviation ) The reservation booking designator for the highest level of economy air fare.
( mathematics , computer science ) A Fixed-point combinator ; especially Haskell Curry 's combinator defined as λ f.(λ x.f (x x)) (λx.f (x x))
Gallery
See also
The template Template:Letter does not use the parameter(s): Character=Y Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning. Other representations of Y:
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y , plural Ys or Y's )
The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet , called wye and written in the Latin script .
Used for the Greek letter Υ ( Y , “ upsilon ” ) .
See also
( Latin-script letters) letter ; A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Noun
Y (plural Ys )
A figure or mark in the shape of the letter Y .
A Y-shaped object, such as a railroad fork or a support for a telescope; a wye , a bifurcation .
( lepidopterology ) A moth of the genus Plusia , having markings resembling the letter Y .
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Abbreviations.
Interjection
Y
Abbreviation of yes .
Noun
Y (plural Ys )
Abbreviation of year . (In some contexts as YY or YYYY to indicate only the last 2-digits or all 4-digits.)
Noun
Y
( stenoscript ) Abbreviation of year .
Etymology 3
Clipping s.
Proper noun
the Y
( Canada , US ) Clipping of the YMCA or YWCA .
2001 , Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections :He had sat next to Cindy returning from the Y and smelled the chlorine on her. A sodden Band-Aid had clung by a few lingering bits of stickum to her knee.
Noun
Y (plural Ys )
( Canada , US , informal ) A particular facility run by the YMCA /YWCA .
a. 1969 , John Kennedy Toole , A Confederacy of Dunces , Penguin, published 1981 , →ISBN :Of course, the audience up here at the Bronx “Y ” will probably be a little parochial, but if I make good in the lecture, I might one day end up speaking down at the Lex. Ave. “Y ” where great thinkers like Norman Mailer and Seymour Krim are always airing their views.
2021 May 17, Jane E. Brody, “A Birthday Milestone: Turning 80!”, in The New York Times , →ISSN :When a 50ish woman at my Y learned that I was about to turn 80, she exclaimed, “80 is the new 60, and you set a great example for the rest of us!”
Etymology 4
See IJ .
Proper noun
Y
Obsolete form of IJ ( “ a lake (formerly a bay ) adjoining the city of Amsterdam , Netherlands ” ) .
1813 , William Müller, D. P. , Topographical and Military Description of Germany and the Surrounding Country , 2nd edition, London: T. Egerton, pages 4–5 :Amsterdam , Hol. fortif. on the gulf Y and the Amstel river, 27,000 ho. in the town, nearly as many in the suburbs; 210,000 inh. 1000 rp. 50,000 lm. 6000 sailors; well built, many canals, ground very damp and marshy, very clean streets, [ …]
Afar
Letter
Y
The twenty-second and final letter in the Afar alphabet.
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , B b , T t , S s , E e , C c , K k , X x , I i , D d , Q q , R r , F f , G g , O o , L l , M m , N n , U u , W w , H h , Y y
Afrikaans
Pronunciation
( letter name ) : IPA (key ) : /əɪ̯/
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Afrikaans alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) letter ; A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Noun
Y (plural Y's , diminutive Y'tjie )
Y
Azerbaijani
Letter
Y upper case (lower case y )
The thirty-first letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) hərf ; A a , B b , C c , Ç ç , D d , E e , Ə ə , F f , G g , Ğ ğ , H h , X x , I ı , İ i , J j , K k , Q q , L l , M m , N n , O o , Ö ö , P p , R r , S s , Ş ş , T t , U u , Ü ü , V v , Y y , Z z
Basque
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-sixth letter of the Basque alphabet , called i greko and written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
Used chiefly in recent loanwords and foreign proper nouns.
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , B b , C c (Ç ç ), D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ñ ñ , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u (Ü ü ), V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Central Franconian
Pronunciation
/i/ , ( German-based also ) /y/ , /yː/
Letter
Y
A letter in the German-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
A letter in the Dutch-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
Usage notes
Only used rarely in loanwords, respectively after the German or Dutch cognate.
Chinese
Pronunciation 1
Note : Often realised as one syllable.
Note : Often realised as one syllable.
Letter
Y
The twenty-fifth letter of the Latin alphabet.
Pronunciation 2
Letter
Y
The twenty-fifth letter used in Pinyin .
Usage notes
《汉语拼音方案》 defines a standard pronunciation for each letter. However, these pronunciations are rarely used in education; another pronunciation is commonly used instead.
The pronunciation above are only used while referring to letters in Pinyin. They are not used in other context (such as English).
Dutch
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (capital , lowercase y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Dutch alphabet.
See also
Previous letter: X
Next letter: Z
Finnish
Etymology
The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information , and Y for information on the development of the glyph itself. In particular, the use of ⟨ y ⟩ for /y/ follows the Swedish orthography, which in turn follows Latin.
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fourth letter of the Finnish alphabet , called yy and written in the Latin script .
Derived terms
See also
( Latin-script letters) kirjain ; A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s (Š š ), T t , U u , V v (W w ), X x , Y y , Z z (Ž ž ), Å å , Ä ä , Ö ö
French
Etymology
From Old French Y , Hy , I from Latin Iacum .[ 1]
Y
Pronunciation
Letter
Pronunciation
( letter name ) : IPA (key ) : /i ɡʁɛk/
Y (capital , lowercase y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the French alphabet.
See also
Previous letter: X
Next letter: Z
Proper noun
Y ?
A French commune in the Somme département .
References
German
Pronunciation
( letter name ) IPA (key ) : /ˈʏpsilɔn/
( phoneme )
In Greek words generally /ʏ/ , /yː/ , but in unstressed syllables alternatively /i/ (e.g. in poly- ).
In other borrowings, e.g. from English, /j/ , /i/ , /aɪ̯/ , etc.
Natively only in proper nouns, mostly in -ay-, -ey- , both pronounced /aɪ̯/ .
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the German alphabet, called Ypsilon .
Hungarian
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
A letter of the extended Hungarian alphabet , called ipszilon and written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
Also occurs as part of the digraphs Gy , Ly , Ny , Ty , though these are considered letters in their own right.
Declension
Derived terms
See also
( Latin-script letters) betű ; A a , Á á , B b , C c , Cs cs , D d , Dz dz , Dzs dzs , E e , É é , F f , G g , Gy gy , H h , I i , Í í , J j , K k , L l , Ly ly , M m , N n , Ny ny , O o , Ó ó , Ö ö , Ő ő , P p , R r , S s , Sz sz , T t , Ty ty , U u , Ú ú , Ü ü , Ű ű , V v , Z z , Zs zs . Only in the extended alphabet: Q q W w X x Y y . Commonly used: ch . Also defined: à ë . In surnames (selection): ä aa cz ds eé eö ew oe oó th ts ÿ .
Ido
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Ido alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) litero ; A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Italian
Pronunciation
( letter name ) IPA (key ) : /i‿ɡˈɡrɛ.ka/ , /i‿ɡˈɡrɛ.ko/ , /ˈi.psi.lon/ [ 1]
( phonemic realization ) IPA (key ) : /j/ , /i/ ( varies depending on the loanword )
Letter
Y f or m (invariable , upper case , lower case y )
the twenty-fifth letter of the Latin alphabet , called ipsilon , i greco or i greca in Italian
Usage notes
The letter Y is not considered part of the Italian alphabet. It is found mainly in loanwords.
See also
( Latin-script letters) lettera ; A a (À à ), B b , C c , D d , E e (É é , È è ), F f , G g , H h , I i (Í í , Ì ì , Î î , J j , K k ), L l , M m , N n , O o (Ó ó , Ò ò ), P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u (Ú ú , Ù ù ), V v (W w , X x , Y y ), Z z
Italian alphabet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
References
Kashubian
Etymology
The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and Y for development of the glyph itself.
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The thirty-first letter of the Kashubian alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ą ą , Ã ã , B b , C c , D d , E e , É é , Ë ë , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , Ł ł , M m , N n , O o , Ò ò , Ó ó , Ô ô , P p , R r , S s , T t , U u , Ù ù , W w , Y y , Z z , Ż ż
Lower Sorbian
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (lower case y )
The thirty-first letter of the Lower Sorbian alphabet , called y and written in the Latin script .
See also
Malay
Pronunciation
Letter
Y
The twenty-fifth letter of the Malay alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Nupe
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-eighth letter of the Nupe alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) banki ; A a (Á á , À à ), B b , C c , D d , Dz dz , E e (É é , È è ), F f , G g , Gb gb , H h , I i (Í í , Ì ì ), J j , K k , Kp kp , L l , M m (Ḿ ḿ , M̀ m̀ , M̄ m̄ ), N n (Ń ń , Ǹ ǹ , N̄ n̄ ), O o (Ó ó , Ò ò ), P p , R r , S s , Sh sh , T t , Ts ts , U u (Ú ú , Ù ù ), V v , W w , Y y , Z z , Zh zh
Polish
Etymology
The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and Y for development of the glyph itself.
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-ninth letter of the Polish alphabet , called y or igrek and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ą ą , B b , C c , Ć ć , D d , E e , Ę ę , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , Ł ł , M m , N n , Ń ń , O o , Ó ó , P p (Q q ), R r , S s , Ś ś , T t , U u (V v ), W w (X x ), Y y , Z z , Ź ź , Ż ż
Portuguese
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Portuguese alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) letra ; A a (Á á , À à , Â â , Ã ã ), B b , C c (Ç ç ), D d , E e (É é , Ê ê ), F f , G g , H h , I i (Í í ), J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o (Ó ó , Ô ô , Õ õ ), P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u (Ú ú ), V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Noun
Y m (plural Ys )
fork ( area where something forks )
Synonyms: forquilha , bifurcação , ramificação
Romanian
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The thirtieth letter of the Romanian alphabet , called igrec or i grec and written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
Used chiefly in recent loanwords and foreign proper nouns.
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ă ă , Â â , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , Î î , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , Ș ș , T t , Ț ț , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Saanich
Pronunciation
Letter
Y
The thirty-seventh letter of the Saanich alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A , Á , Ⱥ , B , C , Ć , Ȼ , D , E , H , I , Í , J , K , Ꝁ , Ꝃ , ₭ , Ḵ , Ḱ , L , Ƚ , M , N , Ṉ , O , P , Q , S , Ś , T , Ⱦ , Ṯ , Ŧ , U , W , W̱ , X , X̱ , Y , Z , s , ¸
Silesian
Etymology
The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and Y for development of the glyph itself.
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The thirty-first letter of the Silesian alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ã ã , B b , C c , Ć ć , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , Ł ł , M m , N n , Ń ń , O o , Ŏ ŏ , Ō ō , Ô ô , Õ õ , P p , R r , S s , Ś ś , T t , U u , W w , Y y , Z z , Ź ź , Ż ż
Slovene
Letter
Y (capital , lowercase y )
The thirty-third letter of the Slovene alphabet (Resian), written in the Latin script .
Somali
Pronunciation
( phoneme ) : IPA (key ) : /ʝ/ , /ɪ̯/ , /i̯/
( letter name ) : IPA (key ) : /ʝæ/
Letter
Y upper case (lower case y )
The twenty-second letter of the Somali alphabet , called ya and written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
The twenty-second letter of the Somali alphabet, which follows Arabic abjad order. It is preceded by H and followed by A .
See also
( Latin-script letters) ʼ , B b , T t , J j , X x , Kh kh , D d , R r , S s , Sh sh , Dh dh , C c , G g , F f , Q q , K k , L l , M m , N n , W w , H h , Y y , A a , E e , I i , O o , U u
Spanish
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
the 26th letter of the Spanish alphabet
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish Y . Each pronunciation has a different source:
Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by English Y .
Abakada alphabet pronunciation is influenced by Baybayin character ᜌ ( ya ) .
Abecedario pronunciation is from Spanish Y .
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y , Baybayin spelling ᜏᜌ᜔ )
The twenty-seventh letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Filipino alphabet ), called way and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) titik ; A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ñ ñ , Ng ng , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y , Baybayin spelling ᜌ )
The twentieth letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abakada alphabet ), called ya and written in the Latin script .
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y , Baybayin spelling ᜌᜒ )
( historical ) The twenty-seventh letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abecedario ), called ye and written in the Latin script .
Further reading
“Y ”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph , Manila, 2018
Turkish
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-eighth letter of the Turkish alphabet , called ye and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) harf ; A a (Â â ), B b , C c , Ç ç , D d , E e , F f , G g , Ğ ğ , H h , I ı , İ i (Î î ), J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , Ö ö , P p , R r , S s , Ş ş , T t , U u (Û û ), Ü ü , V v , Y y , Z z
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-ninth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet , called i dài or i gờ-rét and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Quốc ngữ letters) chữ cái ; A a (À à , Ả ả , Ã ã , Á á , Ạ ạ ), Ă ă (Ằ ằ , Ẳ ẳ , Ẵ ẵ , Ắ ắ , Ặ ặ ), Â â (Ầ ầ , Ẩ ẩ , Ẫ ẫ , Ấ ấ , Ậ ậ ), B b , C c (Ch ch ), D d , Đ đ , E e (È è , Ẻ ẻ , Ẽ ẽ , É é , Ẹ ẹ ), Ê ê (Ề ề , Ể ể , Ễ ễ , Ế ế , Ệ ệ ), G g (Gh gh , Gi gi ), H h , I i (Ì ì , Ỉ ỉ , Ĩ ĩ , Í í , Ị ị ), K k (Kh kh ), L l , M m , N n (Ng ng , Ngh ngh , Nh nh ), O o (Ò ò , Ỏ ỏ , Õ õ , Ó ó , Ọ ọ ), Ô ô (Ồ ồ , Ổ ổ , Ỗ ỗ , Ố ố , Ộ ộ ), Ơ ơ (Ờ ờ , Ở ở , Ỡ ỡ , Ớ ớ , Ợ ợ ), P p (Ph ph ), Q q (Qu qu ), R r , S s , T t (Th th , Tr tr ), U u (Ù ù , Ủ ủ , Ũ ũ , Ú ú , Ụ ụ ), Ư ư (Ừ ừ , Ử ử , Ữ ữ , Ứ ứ , Ự ự ), V v , X x , Y y (Ỳ ỳ , Ỷ ỷ , Ỹ ỹ , Ý ý , Ỵ ỵ )
Welsh
Pronunciation
( standard ) IPA (key ) : /ə/ , /əː/
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-ninth letter of the Welsh alphabet , called e and written in the Latin script . It is preceded by W .
Mutation
Y cannot be mutated but, being a vowel, does take h-prothesis , for example with the word ysgol ( “ school; ladder ” ) :
See also
( Latin-script letters) llythyren ; A a (Á á , À à , Â â , Ä ä ), B b , C c , Ch ch , D d , Dd dd , E e (É é , È è , Ê ê , Ë ë ), F f , Ff ff , G g , Ng ng , H h , I i (Í í , Ì ì , Î î , Ï ï ), J j , L l , Ll ll , M m , N n , O o (Ó ó , Ò ò , Ô ô , Ö ö ), P p , Ph ph , R r , Rh rh , S s , T t , Th th , U u (Ú ú , Ù ù , Û û , Ü ü ), W w (Ẃ ẃ , Ẁ ẁ , Ŵ ŵ , Ẅ ẅ ), Y y (Ý ý , Ỳ ỳ , Ŷ ŷ , Ÿ ÿ )
Further reading
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “Y ”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
Yoruba
Pronunciation
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Yoruba alphabet , called yí and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) lẹ́tà ; A a (Á á , À à , Ā ā ), B b , D d , E e (É é , È è , Ē ē ), Ẹ ẹ (Ẹ́ ẹ́ , Ẹ̀ ẹ̀ , Ẹ̄ ẹ̄ ), F f , G g , Gb gb , H h , I i (Í í , Ì ì , Ī ī ), J j , K k , L l , M m (Ḿ ḿ , M̀ m̀ , M̄ m̄ ), N n (Ń ń , Ǹ ǹ , N̄ n̄ ), O o (Ó ó , Ò ò , Ō ō ), Ọ ọ (Ọ́ ọ́ , Ọ̀ ọ̀ , Ọ̄ ọ̄ ), P p , R r , S s , Ṣ ṣ , T t , U u (Ú ú , Ù ù , Ū ū ), W w , Y y
( Benin ) ( Latin-script letters) lɛ́tà ; A a , B b , D d , E e , Ɛ ɛ , F f , G g , Gb gb , H h , I i , J j , K k , Kp kp , L l , M m , N n , O o , Ɔ ɔ , P p , R r , S s , Sh sh , T t , U u , W w , Y y
Zulu
Letter
Y (upper case , lower case y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Zulu alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , B b , C c , D d , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u , V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z