eh

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Natural exclamation; first recorded mid-16th century. Perhaps an unstressed variant of aye (yes, yeah).
The Philippine sense is possibly influenced by Tagalog e and/or Spanish eh.

Pronunciation

(tag question, request for repetition, ascertaining continued attention):

  • (Canada, UK) enPR: ā, IPA(key): /eɪ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪ

(apathy or lack of enthusiasm, unremarkable):

Interjection

eh

  1. (informal, chiefly Canada, UK) Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
    These hot dogs are pretty good, eh?
    • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick 16:
      Well, what dost thou think then of seeing the world? Do ye wish to go round Cape Horn to see any more of it, eh? Can't ye see the world where you stand?
  2. In isolation, a request for repetition or clarification of what has just been said; compare what, pardon.
  3. In isolation, expressing surprise or confusion; compare wha, huh, za.
  4. (chiefly Canada) An interjection used to ascertain the continued attention of an individual addressed by the speaker.
    I went to the restaurant, eh, but my friends didn't show up.
  5. Expressing apathy or lack of enthusiasm; meh.
    —Do you feel like going out tonight?
    Eh, I don't know.
  6. (Philippines) Expressing apprehension following or preceding a reasoning or excuse; uh.
    —Why is it like this?
    Eh, It's like that eh.
Usage notes
  • In North America, the word is stereotypically associated with Canada and can sometimes convey that the speaker is trying to sound (sarcastically) Canadian outside the country. However, it is in widespread use in many other parts of the English-speaking world, including the northern United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, Malaysia, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa and Nigeria.
Translations

Verb

eh (third-person singular simple present ehs, present participle ehing, simple past and past participle ehed)

  1. To use the interjection eh.

Adjective

eh (not comparable)

  1. (informal, predicative only) Of mediocre quality; unremarkable.
    My French fries were eh.
See also
  • eh up (possibly etymologically related)
References

Etymology 2

From Hokkien (--eh) and Mandarin (ê̄ / ế / ê̌, interjection).

Pronunciation

Interjection

eh (Singapore)

  1. (Singlish, usually impolite) Hey, oi; said to get someone's attention.
  2. (uncommon) An interjection expressing disapproval.
    Eh, please don't say that...
  3. (with rising pitch) Huh?; expresses confusion.
See also
  • eh eh eh (interjection, possibly related to the above)

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *akˢka, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (sharp).

Verb

eh (aorist eha, participle ehur)

  1. to sharpen
  2. to whet
  3. to hone (metal-edged tools)

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

French

Pronunciation

Interjection

eh

  1. signifying indifference or surprise

Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ē (earlier, ere), originally ēr. Modern Standard German uses the lengthened form ehe (only as a conjunction).

Pronunciation

Conjunction

eh

  1. (colloquial) before
    Lass uns gehn, eh wir den Bus verpassen!
    Let's go before we miss the bus!

Adverb

eh

  1. (colloquial) anyway, in any case
    Synonyms: sowieso, ohnehin, ohnedies
    Du brauchst nicht laufen. Du kriegst die Bahn eh nicht.
    No need to run. You won’t catch the tram anyways.
    • 2020, Joachim Kretschmer, “Unmittelbares Ansetzen (§ 22 StGB) bei mittelbarer Täterschaft und bei Mittäterschaft”, in Juristische Arbeitsblätter, number 8, pages 588–589:
      Nach der Einzellösung ist § 22 StGB für jeden Mittäter gesondert und individuell zu betrachten. Nur wer selbst unmittelbar ansetzt bzw. wer im Gesamtversuchsstadium seinen eigenen Tatbeitrag erbringt, kann wegen einer versuchten mittäterschaftlichen Tat bestraft werden. Bei der versuchten Mittäterschaft soll danach nicht die wechselseitige Zurechnung der Gesamtlösung gelten. Diese enge Ansicht beruht vor allem auf der Annahme, dass man eh nur Mittäter sein kann, wenn man einen tatherrschaftlichen Beitrag in der Ausführungsphase erbringt.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 2023 July 5, “Kritik von Grünen in Bielefeld: Wieder Streit um Johannisbachaue”, in Radio Bielefeld:
      Aus Sicht der Grünen ginge es CDU und FDP nicht um einen Badesee, der eh nicht möglich wäre, sondern um die teuren Grundstücke an einem Untersee.
      From the view of the Greens, CDU and FDP are not about a swimming lake, which would not be feasible anyway, but rather the expensive estates adjacent to a Lower Sea .
  2. (colloquial, Austria) well, admittedly (for which in Germany only schon is used)
    Ich hab eh drüber nachgedacht, aber es wär nicht gegangen.
    I did well consider it, but it wouldn't have worked out.

Further reading

  • eh” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hungarian

Pronunciation

Interjection

eh

  1. indicates indifference, usually used as a reply alone: meh
  2. indicates an obvious mistake: oh, no

Related terms

Further reading

  • eh in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • eh in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Icelandic

Pronoun

eh

  1. (informal, nonstandard) abbreviation of einhver.

Usage notes

See einhver § Usage notes.

Juǀ'hoan

Pronunciation

Letter

eh (upper case Eh)

  1. A letter of the Juǀ'hoan alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish é (he, they), from Proto-Indo-European *éy. Cognate with Irish é and Scottish Gaelic e.

Pronoun

eh (emphatic eshyn)

  1. he, him
    Cha vel breagerey dy ve credjit ga dy vel eh ginsh yn irriney.
    A liar is not to be believed even if he tells the truth.
    Cur meer da’n feeagh as hig eh reesht.
    Give the raven a bit and he’ll come again.
    Cur lhiat magh eh.
    Bring him out.
  2. it
    Skeeal eddyr troor, t’eh ersooyl.
    A story between three, it’s gone.

Nauruan

Particle

eh

  1. yes

Norwegian

Interjection

eh

  1. uh

Synonyms

Old English

Pronunciation

Noun

eh m or n

  1. Alternative form of eoh

Pohnpeian

Etymology 1

Noun

eh

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter E.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Determiner

eh

  1. his, her, hers, its, third person possessive pronoun
    Liho iang eh pwoud.
    The woman joined her husband.

Etymology 3

Noun

eh

  1. liver

Etymology 4

Interjection

eh

  1. a particle used after names of people when calling them

Etymology 5

Interjection

eh

  1. an interjection signifying understanding
  2. a response used when answering a call in a feast

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: eh

Verb

eh

  1. (Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative form of é (is)

Interjection

eh

  1. (Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative form of é (yeah)

Romanian

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

eh

  1. expresses dissatisfaction or sadness

References

  • eh in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

Scots

Etymology

Dialectal representation of ee.

Noun

eh (plural ehs)

  1. (Dundee) ee

Southern Ohlone

Noun

eh

  1. gray ground squirrel

Spanish

Pronunciation

Interjection

eh

  1. hey! (used to call, draw attention, warn or reprehend)
    Synonyms: hey, ey
  2. uh, um (space filler in a conversation, expression of hesitation or pause in speech)
    Synonym: este

Related terms

Further reading

Sumerian

Romanization

eh

  1. Romanization of 𒄴 (eḫ)

Tagalog

Interjection

eh (Baybayin spelling )

  1. Alternative spelling of e

Zou

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ēʔ/
  • Hyphenation: eh

Noun

eh

  1. tear

References

  • Philip Thanglienmang (2014), “Zou Tonology”, in Indian Linguistics, volume 75, issue 1-2, →ISSN