hey

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See also: Hey

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English hey, hei, also without h- in ey, from Old English *hē, ēa (interjection), attested as first element in hēlā, ēalā (“O!, alas!, oh!, lo!”). Cognate with Dutch hé, hei (“hi, hey”), German hei (“hey, wow”), Danish and Swedish hej (“hello, hey”), Faroese hey (“hey, hello”), Old Norse, Icelandic and Norwegian hei (“hey”), Polish hej (“hey, hello”), Romanian hei, Russian эй (ej, “hey”); see heigh. Probably a natural expression, as may be inferred from its presence with similar meaning in many other unrelated languages: for example, Burmese ဟေး (he:), Finnish hei, Unami hè, and Mandarin 哎 (āi), and various sound-alikes as Ancient Greek εἶα (eîa) and Latin eia, eho, Sanskrit हे (he). See also hello.

Alternative forms

Interjection

hey

  1. An exclamation to get attention.
    Hey, look at this!
    Hey! Listen!
  2. A protest or reprimand.
    Hey! Stop that!
  3. An expression of surprise.
    Hey! This is new!
  4. (chiefly US) An informal greeting, similar to hi.
    Hey! How's it going?
  5. A request for repetition or explanation; an expression of confusion.
    Hey? How's that?
  6. Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
  7. A meaningless beat marker or extra, filler syllable in song lyrics.
    The chorus is "nana na na, nana na na hey hey hey, goodbye".
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

Etymology 2

From French haie (“hedge”), with reference to the weaving patterns used in hedgelaying. Doublet of hedge and quay.

Noun

hey (plural heys)

  2. (country dancing) A choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave between one another, passing by left and right shoulder alternately.
Translations

Etymology 3

See he.

Noun

hey (plural heys)

  1. Alternative spelling of he (“Hebrew letter”)

See also

Anagrams

Faroese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Interjection

hey

  1. hi, hey, hello
    Synonyms: halló, góðan morgun, góðan dag, gott kvøld
    Antonyms: farvæl, vit síggjast
    hey aftur! ― hello again!

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hey, from Proto-Germanic *hawją.

Pronunciation

Noun

hey n (genitive singular heys, nominative plural hey)

  1. (usually uncountable) hay

Declension

Declension of hey (neuter)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative hey heyið hey heyin
accusative hey heyið hey heyin
dative heyi heyinu heyjum heyjunum
genitive heys heysins heyja heyjanna

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hīġ, hīeġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hawi, from Proto-Germanic *hawją (“hay”).

Noun

hey (uncountable)

  1. hay
Alternative forms
Descendants
  • English: hay
  • Scots: hey
  • Yola: hye, hey

References

Etymology 2

From Old English *hē, ēa. See English hey for more.

Interjection

hey

  1. hey
Alternative forms
Descendants

References

Etymology 3

Noun

hey

  1. Alternative form of heye (“hedge”)

Etymology 4

Noun

hey (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of hye (“haste”)

Etymology 5

Pronoun

hey

  1. Alternative form of he (“he”)

Etymology 6

Pronoun

hey

  1. Alternative form of he (“they”)

Etymology 7

Verb

hey (third-person singular simple present heyeth, present participle heyende, heyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle heyed)

  1. Alternative form of heien (“to lift up”)

Etymology 8

Pronoun

hey (comparative heyer, superlative heyest)

  1. Alternative form of heigh (“high”)

Portuguese

Verb

hey

  1. Obsolete spelling of hei.

Somali

Verb

hey

  1. possess

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English hey.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈei/
    • Syllabification: hey
  • IPA(key): (imitating English) /ˈxei/
  • Rhymes: -ei

Interjection

¡hey!

  1. hey!
    Synonyms: eh, oye

Further reading

Yola

Etymology 1

Noun

hey

  1. Alternative form of hea (“he”)

Etymology 2

Noun

hey

  1. Alternative form of hye (“hay”)
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 46:
      Chourch hey;
      Church yard;

References

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 45
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