. 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
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet .
See also
Pronunciation
Pronunciation of IPA : (file )
Symbol
y
( metrology ) Symbol for the prefix yocto- .
( IPA ) a close front rounded vowel : the German ü -sound.
( NAPA ) the English y-sound, IPA .
( superscript ⟨ʸ⟩ , IPA ) -coloring, a on- or off-glide (diphthong ), or a weak, fleeting, epenthetic or echo .
( superscript ⟨ʸ⟩ , NAPA ) palatalization , equivalent to IPA .
Denoting an item that is twenty-fifth in a list.
Gallery
See also
Other representations of Y:
English
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y , plural ys or y's )
The twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet , called wy or wye and 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
Historically, this letter was sometimes used to approximate þ , as in yt ( “ that ” ) , yͧ ( “ thou ” ) , and ye ( “ the ” ) (which see for more).
Etymology 2
Abbreviations.
y
( stenoscript ) the sound sequence /ɔɪ̯/.
( stenoscript ) Abbreviation of why .
( stenoscript ) the suffix -ry or -rry .
Noun
y
Abbreviation of year .
2003 , Howard Tanner, Sonia Jones, Becoming a Successful Teacher of Mathematics :Consider the following questions selected from the tests and estimate the proportion of Y 8 pupils you would expect to answer correctly.
( UK , television ) Abbreviation of youth , usually followed by an age appropriate for the content so marked.
Y 7
( computing ) Abbreviation of yes .
Derived terms
Adverb
y (not comparable )
( slang , text messaging , Internet slang ) Abbreviation of why .
See also
Aragonese
Etymology
From Latin et , from Proto-Indo-European *éti .
Conjunction
y
and
Asturian
Etymology
From Latin et , from Proto-Indo-European *éti .
Conjunction
y
and
Pronoun
y (y (or -y ), plural ys /yos or -ys /-yos )
Pronoun for the third-person singular indirect object .
da-y pan give him/her bread
Usage notes
Azerbaijani
Pronunciation
Letter
y lower case (upper 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 (lower case , upper 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
Catalan
Conjunction
y
Obsolete form of i ( “ and ” ) .
Cornish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Proto-Brythonic *eið , from Proto-Celtic *esyo m and *esyās f ; compare Old Irish a ( “ his, her, its, their ” ) and Sanskrit अस्य ( asyá , “ his, its ” ) and अस्यास् ( asyā́s , “ her ” ) .
Pronoun
y
( Standard Cornish, Standard Written Form ) his
Etymology 2
From Proto-Celtic *eyes , plural of *es , from Proto-Indo-European *éy . Cognate with Breton i(nt) , Irish ia(d) and Welsh hwy
Pronoun
y
( Standard Cornish ) they ( third person plural pronoun )
Etymology 3
From Proto-Celtic *ide- (compare Breton e , ez , Welsh y , yth , Old Irish id ), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁i-dʰei- (compare Latin ibi ( “ here ” ) , Avestan 𐬌𐬛𐬁 ( idā , “ here, in the same way ” ) , and Sanskrit इह ( ihá , “ here ” ) ).
Particle
y (triggers mixed mutation )
Inserted before the verb when the verb precedes the subject
Dutch
Pronunciation
( letter name ) : IPA (key ) : /ɛɪ/ , /iˈɡrɛk/ , /ˌɣrik.sə ˈɛɪ/
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
the twenty-fifth letter of the Dutch alphabet
Usage notes
In certain dialects the letter is pronounced similar to IPA: /ji:/. In these dialects, they will actually write "y" such as in "jy" (IPA: /ji:/) instead of modern standard Dutch jij (IPA: /jɛɪ/).
See also
Previous letter: x
Next letter: z
Fala
Conjunction
y
Alternative form of i
Faroese
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The twenty-sixth letter of the Faroese alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) bókstavur ; A a , Á á , B b , D d , Ð ð , E e , F f , G g , H h , I i , Í í , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , Ó ó , P p , R r , S s , T t , U u , Ú ú , V v , Y y , Ý ý , Æ æ , Ø ø
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.
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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
Franco-Provençal
Etymology
Inherited from Latin hīc .
Pronoun
y ( ORB, broad )
it ( third-person singular neuter dative )
See also
Franco-Provençal personal pronouns
singular
nominative
accusative
dative
tonic1
possessive2
1st person
jo
mè
min
2nd person
te
tè
tin
3rd person masculine
il
lo / le
lui
sin
3rd person feminine
el
la
lyé
3rd person neuter
o
y
—
3rd person reflexive
—
sè
plural
nominative
accusative
dative
tonic1
possessive2
1st person
nos
noutro
2nd person
vos
voutro
3rd person masculine
ils
los / les
lor
lor
3rd person feminine
els
les
lor / lyés
3rd person reflexive
—
sè
1 Disjunctive or object of a preposition.
2 Generally preceded by a definite article.
References
y in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
y in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu
French
Etymology 1
From i grec ( “ Greek i ” ) , referring to the letter upsilon (Υ ), originally borrowed from the Greek alphabet, as opposed to "Latin i" (I ).
Pronunciation
( letter name ) IPA (key ) : /i.ɡʁɛk/
Letter
y
a letter in the French alphabet, after x and before z
Etymology 2
10th century; from Old French i , from Latin hīc ( “ here ” ) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰi-ḱe ( “ this, here ” ) ), with meaning influenced by Old French iv ( “ there, thither ” ) , itself from Latin ibī . Derivation from the latter poses difficulty from a phonetic standpoint. Compare Catalan hi .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
y (adverbial )
there (at a place)
Il est dans la maison. Il y est. He is in the house. He is there .
there , thither (to there)
Nous allons au Mexique. Nous y allons. We are going to Mexico. We are going there .
Used as a pronoun to replace an adverbial phrase starting with à .
Je pense à mon pays. J’y pense. I think about my country. I think about it .
With verbs: see Appendix:French verbs followed by à for verbs which use this structure.
( archaic ) With adjectives. Only used with a handful of adjectives (the most common combination being y compris , which is a special case), mainly in legal terminology.
personnes y nommées ― Persons named there(in)
procédures y afférentes ― Related procedures
documents y relatifs ― Related documents
eaux y affluentes ― Tributary waters
Derived terms
French personal pronouns
1 Also used as the first person plural.
2 Also used as the polite singular form.
3 Also used when a group has both men and women.
4 Also used as third person plural reflexive.
Etymology 3
Eye dialect spelling or contraction of il and ils .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
y
( Quebec , colloquial ) he : alternative form of il
( Quebec , colloquial ) they : alternative form of ils
( Quebec , colloquial ) they : alternative form of elles
Further reading
Fula
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
A letter of the Fula alphabet , written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
See also
( Latin-script letters) karfeeje ; ' , A a , B b , Mb mb , Ɓ ɓ , C c , D d , Nd nd , Ɗ ɗ , E e , F f , G g , Ng ng , Ɠ ɠ , H h , I i , J j , Nj nj , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ŋ ŋ , Ñ ñ , Ɲ ɲ , O o , P p , R r , S s , T t , U u , W w , Y y , Ƴ ƴ
German
Pronunciation
( phoneme ) IPA (key ) : /yː/ , /y/ , /ʏ/ , /i/ , /ɪ/ , /j/
( letter name ) IPA (key ) : /ˈʏpsilɔn/
Letter
y n (strong , genitive y , plural y )
the letter y
Guaraní
Pronunciation
Noun
y
water
Derived terms
Haitian Creole
Etymology
Contraction of yo .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
y
Contraction of yo .
Hungarian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
A letter of the extended Hungarian alphabet , called ipszilon and written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
As shown in the alphabet below, this letter normally occurs in Hungarian words only as part of four digraphs: gy , ly , ny , and ty (with their long counterparts: ggy, lly, nny, tty ). Aside from them, the terms containing y defined in an extensive Hungarian monolingual dictionary[ 1] are baby-doll , baby-sitter , body ( “ bodice ” ) , body-building / bodyzik / bodyzó , boy , brandy , citoyen , country /countryzene , cowboy /cowboyfilm /cowboykalap , curry , disc-jockey , doyen , dry , dyn , fair play , háryjános /háryjánoskodik , intercity , joystick , play back , playboy , royalista , sherry , spray , whisky , yard , yperit , yuppie , złoty and the letter itself. Additionally, a newer and more comprehensive but as yet incomplete dictionary[ 2] contains bicsérdysta , byte , copyright , and cowboycsizma . (The forms dandy , gentry , happy end ( “ happy ending ” ) , jersey , maya , nylon , and yen are also mentioned as alternative forms in the former volume, but their current standard spelling is dendi , dzsentri , dzsörzé , hepiend , jen , maja , and nejlon .)
Proper names written with y include the country names Guyana , Paraguay , Seychelle-szigetek , and Uruguay and the capital names Conakry , Port Moresby , and Reykjavík . Other names deriving from Latin alphabets are also retained (such as English Calgary, Hollywood, Kentucky, Montgomery, New Jersey, New York, Sydney, Wyoming etc., German Bayreuth, Speyer, Steyr , French Lyon, Mayotte, Nancy, Vichy , and Polish Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Przemyśl ). Otherwise, this letter is usually transcribed in country and city names, for example Jemen ( “ Yemen ” ) , Malajzia ( “ Malaysia ” ) , Nepjida ( “ Naypyidaw ” ) , and Rijád ( “ Riyadh ” ) .
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 .
References
^ 75,000 entries in Pusztai, Ferenc (ed.). Magyar értelmező kéziszótár (“A Concise Explanatory Dictionary of Hungarian”). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2003. 2nd, expanded and revised edition →ISBN . Online searchable version (under development)
^ As of 2021, completed until ELZ. Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (’A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress)
Further reading
y 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
Icelandic
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The twenty-eighth letter of the Icelandic alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) bókstafur ; A a , Á á , B b , D d , Ð ð , E e , É é , F f , G g , H h , I i , Í í , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , Ó ó , P p , R r , S s , T t , U u , Ú ú , V v , X x , Y y , Ý ý , Þ þ , Æ æ , Ö ö
Ido
Pronunciation
( context pronunciation ) IPA (key ) : /j/
( letter name ) IPA (key ) : /je/
Letter
y (upper 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
Indonesian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Indonesian alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) huruf ; 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
Letter
y f or m (invariable , lower case , upper 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.
Kabuverdianu
Etymology
From Portuguese e .
Conjunction
y
and
References
Gonçalves, Manuel (2015 ) Capeverdean Creole-English dictionary , →ISBN
Kamayurá
Noun
y
Alternative form of 'ɨ
References
Languages of the Amazon (2012, →ISBN
Kankanaey
Etymology
Borrowed from Tagalog y . Letter pronunciation is influenced by English y .
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
The twenty-seventh letter of the Kankanaey alphabet , called way and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) letra ; 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
References
Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2016 ) Ortograpiya di Kankanaëy [Kankanaey Orthography ] (in Kankanaey and Tagalog), →ISBN , pages 10-11
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 (lower case , upper 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
Khumi Chin
Pronunciation
Particle
y
no
References
K. E. Herr (2011 ) The phonological interpretation of minor syllables, applied to Lemi Chin , Payap University, page 47
Ladin
Conjunction
y
and
Latgalian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The fourteenth letter of the Latgalian alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ā ā , B b , C c , Č č , D d , E e , Ē ē , F f , G g , Ģ ģ , H h , I i , Y y , Ī ī , J j , K k , Ķ ķ , L l , Ļ ļ , M m , N n , Ņ ņ , O o , Ō ō , P p , R r , S s , Š š , T t , U u , Ū ū , V v , Z z , Ž ž
Latin
Pronunciation
Noun
ȳ f (indeclinable )
A name of the letter Y .
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
( Latin-script letter names ) littera ; ā , bē , cē , dē , ē , ef , gē , hā / *acca , ī , kā , el , em , en , ō , pē , kū , er , es , tē , ū , ix / īx / ex , ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon , zēta
References
Lithuanian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The fifteenth letter of the Lithuanian alphabet , called i ilgoji and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , Ą ą , B b , C c , Č č , D d , E e , Ę ę , Ė ė , F f , G g , H h , I i , Į į , Y y , J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , O o , P p , R r , S s , Š š , T t , U u , Ų ų , Ū ū , V v , Y y , Z z , Ž ž
Lower Sorbian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The thirty-first letter of the Lower Sorbian alphabet , called y and written in the Latin script .
The name of the Latin-script letter y /Y .
See also
Malay
Letter
y (lower case , upper case 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
Mandinka
Pronoun
y
they , them ( personal pronoun )
See also
Mandinka personal pronouns
singular
plural
1st person
nte , n , m
ntolu , ntelu , n
2nd person
ite , i
altolu , altelu , al
3rd person
ate , a
itolu , itelu , y
Manx
Article
y
Alternative form of yn
Mbyá Guaraní
Noun
y
water
References
Middle English
Etymology 1
Pronoun
y
Alternative form of I
Etymology 2
Preposition
y
Alternative form of in ( “ in ” )
Middle French
Adverb
y
there (in a given place)
1488 , Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac , page 12 :Or me dictes fist Lancelot, des lettres qui illec sont escriptes, savez vous qui les y fist mettre Now tell me, said Lancelot, about these letters that are written here, do you know who put them here?
Navajo
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /j/ , /ɣ/
Letter
y (upper case Y )
A letter of the Navajo alphabet , written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
The letter ⟨y⟩ is used for the phoneme /j/ , but also for /ɣ/ before a front vowel , where that is pronounced .
See also
Norwegian
Pronunciation
( letter name ) : IPA (key ) : /yː/
( phoneme ) : IPA (key ) : /yː/ , /y/
Letter
y
The twenty-fifth letter of the Norwegian alphabet , written in the Latin script .
Usage notes
Perhaps the most troublesome sound in Norwegian. Even some native speakers tend to merge it into /i(ː)/ .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology 1
From Old Norse ýr , from Proto-Germanic *īhwaz . Akin to English yew .
Noun
y m (definite singular yen , indefinite plural yar , definite plural yane )
( obsolete ) yew
Synonym: barlind
Etymology 2
From Old Norse úa , influenced by kry .
Verb
y (present tense yr , past tense ydde , past participle ytt /ydd , passive infinitive yast , present participle yande , imperative y )
to crawl ( of small animals )
References
“y” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .
Nupe
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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
Old Tupi
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈɨ/
Rhymes: -ɨ
Hyphenation: y
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *tɨ ( “ liquid, urine ” ) , from Proto-Tupian *tˀɨ ( “ liquid, urine ” ) . Doublet of ty .[ 1] [ 2]
Cognate with Sateré-Mawé hɨ ( “ river ” ) , Guaraní ty ( “ urine ” ) .
Noun
y (possessable , IIb class pluriform , absolute ty , R1 ry , R2 ty )
water
Synonym: 'y
liquid
Synonym: yku
humidity
Synonyms: yby'y , akymaíba
Coordinate terms: abyaru , 'a'y
juice , while it's still inside the fruit
broth
Synonym: îekysy
Derived terms
Adjective
y (IIb class pluriform , R1 ry , R2 ty , noun form y )
humid
Synonyms: yby'y , akymaíb
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *tɨ ( “ river ” ) , from Proto-Tupian *it͡ʃˀɨ ( “ river ” ) .[ 1] [ 3]
Cognate with Awetí hɨ ( “ river ” ) and Sateré-Mawé ihɨ ( “ river ” ) .
Noun
y (possessable , IIb class pluriform , absolute ty , R1 ry , R2 ty )
river
Synonym: 'y
References
↑ 1.0 1.1 Beatriz Carretta Corrêa da Silva (2010 ) Mawé/Awetí/Tupí-Guaraní: relações linguísticas e implicações históricas (in Portuguese), Brasília: UnB, pages 403–404
^ Andrey Nikulin (2020 ) Proto-Macro-Jê: um estudo reconstrutivo (in Portuguese), Brasília: UnB
^ Aryon d'Alligna Rodrigues (2007 ) “As consoantes do proto-tupí”, in Aryon d'Alligna Rodrigues, Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral, editors, Línguas e culturas tupí , 1 edition, volume 1, Campinas: Curt Nimuendajú, pages 167–204
Further reading
Papiamentu
Etymology
From Spanish y and Portuguese e and Kabuverdianu i .
Conjunction
y
and
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 Y , lower case )
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
Pronunciation
Letter name: ( ípsilon )
Letter name: ( i grego )
Phoneme:
IPA (key ) : /i/ , /j/ ( loanwords )
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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
Quechua
Adverb
y
really , truly
Romanian
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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
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 (lower case , upper 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
Spanish
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : ( letter name, everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay ) /ˈʝe/
IPA (key ) : ( letter name, Buenos Aires and environs ) /ˈʃe/
IPA (key ) : ( letter name, elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay ) /ˈʒe/
/i/ in the conjunction (see below) and in word-final diphthongs (e.g. hoy , rey ); otherwise /ʝ/ .
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
The twenty-sixth letter of the Spanish alphabet , called ye or i griega and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) letra ; A a (Á á ), B b , C c , D d , E e (É é ), F f , G g , H h , I i (Í í ), J j , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ñ ñ , O o (Ó ó ), P p , Q q , R r , S s , T t , U u (Ú ú , Ü ü ), V v , W w , X x , Y y , Z z
Etymology 2
Inherited from Old Spanish é or e , from Latin et .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : ( preconsonantal ) /i/
Rhymes: -i
Syllabification: y
IPA (key ) : ( prevocalic )
Conjunction
y
and
1605 , Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quijote de la Mancha 1 , Chapter I:
Es, pues, de saber que este sobredicho hidalgo, los ratos que estaba ocioso —que eran los más del año—, se daba a leer libros de caballerías, con tanta afición y gusto, que olvidó casi de todo punto el ejercicio de la caza y aun la administración de su hacienda; y llegó a tanto su curiosidad y desatino en esto, que vendió muchas hanegas de tierra de sembradura para comprar libros de caballerías en que leer, y , así, llevó a su casa todos cuantos pudo haber dellos. You must know, then, that the above-named gentleman whenever he was at leisure (which was mostly all the year round) gave himself up to reading books of chivalry with such ardour and avidity that he almost entirely neglected the pursuit of his field-sports, and even the management of his property; and to such a pitch did his eagerness and infatuation go that he sold many an acre of tillageland to buy books of chivalry to read, and brought home as many of them as he could get.
( in names of number ) and
setenta y seis ― seventy-six
( in arithmetic ) plus , and
uno y uno son dos ― one plus one is two
( informal ) well
¡Y por supuesto! ― Well , of course!
( informal ) what about , how about , where is/are the
Pero, ¿y el concierto? ¿Ya no vamos? ― But what about the concert? Are we not going anymore?
¿Y la niña? ¿Está a salvo? ― How about the girl? Is she safe?
¿Y los archivos? Debo echarles un vistazo. ― Where are the files? I should take a look at them.
Usage notes
Before words that begin with the /i/ sound, the form e is used instead.
Derived terms
Further reading
Swedish
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
The twenty-fifth letter of the Swedish alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) bokstav ; 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 , Å å , Ä ä , Ö ö
Tagalog
Etymology 1
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 (lower case , upper 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 (lower case , upper 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 (lower case , upper case Y , Baybayin spelling ᜌᜒ )
( historical ) The twenty-seventh letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abecedario ), called ye and written in the Latin script .
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Spanish y .
Pronunciation
Conjunction
y (Baybayin spelling ᜁ )
( archaic ) and
Synonyms: at , saka
Further reading
“y ”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph , Manila, 2018
Tày
Pronunciation
Verb
y
to imitate , to mimic
Preposition
y
along
y te hết ― do like he/she does (literally do along him/her)
Đăm nà y thỏi cáu Follow the old customs (literally "plant rice like the previous rows")
according to
y cằm po̱ me̱ ― according to the parents' words
References
Lương Bèn (2011 ) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary ] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
Tlingit
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
A letter of the Tlingit alphabet , written in the Latin script .
See also
Canada: ( Latin-script letters) A a , Á á , À à , Â â , Ch ch , Chʼ chʼ , D d , Dł dł , Dz dz , E e , É é , È è , Ê ê , G g , Gw gw , Gh gh , Ghw ghw , H h , I i , Í í , Ì ì , Î î , J j , K k , Kw kw , Kʼ kʼ , Kʼw kʼw , Kh kh , Khw khw , Khʼ khʼ , Khʼw khʼw (L l ), Ł ł , Łʼ łʼ (M m ), N n (O o ), S s , Sʼ sʼ , Sh sh , T t , Tʼ tʼ , Tl tl , Tlʼ tlʼ , Ts ts , Tsʼ tsʼ , U u , Ú ú , Ù ù , Û û , W w , X x , Xw xw , Xʼ xʼ , Xʼw xʼw , Xh xh , Xhw xhw , Xhʼ xhʼ , Xhʼw xhʼw , Y y (Ÿ ÿ ), ․
US: ( Latin-script letters) A a , Á á , Aa aa , Áa áa , Ch ch , Chʼ chʼ , D d , Dl dl , Dz dz , E e , É é , Ee ee , Ée ée , Ei ei , Éi éi , G g , Gw gw , G̱ g̱ , G̱w g̱w , H h , I i , Í í , J j , K k , Kw kw , Kʼ kʼ , Kʼw kʼw , Ḵ ḵ , Ḵw ḵw , Ḵʼ ḵʼ , Ḵʼw ḵʼw , L l , Lʼ lʼ (Ḻ ḻ , M m ), N n (O o ), Oo oo , Óo óo , S s , Sʼ sʼ , Sh sh , T t , Tʼ tʼ , Tl tl , Tlʼ tlʼ , Ts ts , Tsʼ tsʼ , U u , Ú ú , W w , X x , Xw xw , Xʼ xʼ , Xʼw xʼw , X̱ x̱ , X̱w x̱w , X̱ʼ x̱ʼ , X̱ʼw x̱ʼw , Y y (Ÿ ÿ , Y̱ y̱ ), ․
Turkish
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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
Turkmen
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
The twenty-eighth letter of the Turkmen alphabet , called y and written in the Latin script .
See also
( Latin-script letters) harp ; A a , B b , Ç ç , D d , E e , Ä ä , F f , G g , H h , I i , J j , Ž ž , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ň ň , O o , Ö ö , P p , R r , S s , Ş ş , T t , U u , Ü ü , W w , Y y , Ý ý , Z z
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Sino-Vietnamese word from 伊 .
Pronoun
y
( archaic , literary ) he ; him ; she ; her
1958 , Đổng Chi Nguyễn, “Thạch Sùng còn thiếu mẻ kho hay là Sự tích con mối”, in Kho tàng truyện cố tích Việt Nam , NXB Văn sử địa:Hồi đó ở kinh đô có một người em hoàng hậu họ Vương. Y cũng là tay cự phú nổi tiếng tiền rừng biển bạc và xài phí vào bậc nhất. At the time, there was in the capital a brother of the queen of the Wáng family. He was also a famous for being immensely rich and was an extravagant spender of first degree.
( derogatory ) he , him
See also
Etymology 2
Sino-Vietnamese word from 依 .
Adverb
y
( informal ) exactly ; precisely (like)
y như ― exactly like/as
y như thật ― so realistic (literally, “exactly like real life ”)
y chang ― very much like
Derived terms
Etymology 3
Sino-Vietnamese word from 醫 .
Noun
y
( medicine ) medicine ; physician
Derived terms
Đông y ( 東醫 , “ traditional East Asian medicine ” ) lương y như từ mẫu ( 良醫如慈母 , “ (literary ) a good physician is like a good mother ” ) lương y ( 良醫 , “ (literary ) a good physician ” ) nan y ( 難醫 , “ (of disease ) difficult to cure ” ) pháp y ( 法醫 , “ forensic science ” ) Tây y ( 西醫 , “ modern medicine ” ) y dược ( 醫藥 , “ medicine and pharmacy ” ) y đạo ( 醫道 , “ (literary ) art of healing ” ) y học ( 醫學 , “ medicine ” ) y khoa ( 醫科 , “ medicine ” ) y lệnh ( 醫令 , “ doctor 's instructions ” ) y sĩ ( 醫士 , “ (junior ) physician ” ) y sinh ( 醫生 , “ physician ” ) y tá ( 醫佐 , “ nurse ” ) y tế ( 醫濟 , “ health care ” ) y viện ( 醫院 , “ (literary ) hospital ” )
Wayampi
Noun
y
Alternative form of ɨɨ ( “ water ” )
ay' ú. ― I drink water .
References
Handbook of Amazonian Languages , volume 4 (1998), edited by Desmond C. Derbyshire, Geoffrey K. Pullum
Welsh
Etymology 1
( with grave accent to indicate otherwise unpredictable short vowel /ə/ ) : ỳ
( with acute accent to indicate unusually stressed short vowel ) : ý
( with circumflex to indicate otherwise unpredictable or unusually stressed long vowel ) : ŷ
( with diaeresis to indicate disyllabicity ) : ÿ
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper case Y )
The twenty-ninth letter of the Welsh alphabet , called y 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 ” ) :
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Derived terms
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 )
( Latin-script letter names ) llythyren ; a , bi , ec , èch , di , èdd , e , èf , èff , èg , eng , aetsh , i / i dot , je , ce , el , èll , em , en , o , pi , ffi , ciw , er , rhi , ès , ti , èth , u / u bedol / u gwpan , fi , w , ecs , y , sèd
Noun
y f (plural yau )
The name of the Latin-script letter Y /y .
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Etymology 2
From Middle Welsh y , yr , from Old Welsh ir , ultimately from Proto-Celtic *sindos .
'r ( used after vowels )
yr ( used before vowels and h )
Pronunciation
Article
y (definite ) ( triggers soft mutation of a feminine singular noun, except ll and rh remain unmutated )
the
y bachgen m ― the boy
y f erch f ― the girl
y llong f ― the ship
y bechgyn pl ― the boys
y merched pl ― the girls
Etymology 3
Merger of two formerly distinct particles, ydd and yd .
(1) from earlier ydd , from Middle Welsh yð , from Proto-Celtic *ide- (compare Breton e , ez , Cornish y , yth , Old Irish id ), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁i-dʰei- (compare Latin ibi ( “ here ” ) , Avestan 𐬌𐬛𐬁 ( idā , “ here, in the same way ” ) , and Sanskrit इह ( ihá , “ here ” ) ).
(2) from earlier yd , from Middle Welsh yt , from Old Welsh it , from Proto-Celtic *ita- (compare Breton e , ez ); akin to Latin ita ( “ so, thus ” ) , dialectal Lithuanian it ( “ as ” ) , and Sanskrit íti ( “ thus, in this manner ” ) .
yr ( used before vowels and h )
Pronunciation
Particle
y
( literary ) that ( preverbal particle used to mark a subordinate clause )
Wyt ti'n meddwl y gall hi ddod? Do you think that she can come?
Mae hi'n gwybod y byddet ti'n gwrando arni hi. She knows that you would listen to her.
( literary ) which , whom ( particle used with indirect relative clauses )
y dyn y dysgais ei fab ― the man whose son I taught
y ferch y gwrandewais arni ― the girl to whom I listened
( literary ) preverbal particle used to mark an affirmative verb in a main clause
1620 , William Morgan, Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan , Genesis 1:1 :Yn y dechreuad y creodd Duw y nefoedd a’r ddaear. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Synonyms: mi , fe ( colloquial )
Usage notes
y is almost always omitted in colloquial speech.
y is used to mean 'that' (i.e. mark a subordinate clause) when the subordinate clause begins with an affirmative form of bod not in the present tense, or another affirmative verb in any tense apart from the preterite.
a
bod
mai ( with fronted element, marked for emphasis )
i
na ( negative )
Yele
Pronunciation
Letter
y (upper case Y )
A letter of the Yele alphabet.
Usage notes
After a consonant, the letter indicates palatalization , except that expected *ty and *nty are spelled ⟨ch⟩ and ⟨nj⟩ .
Derived terms
The digraph ⟨yw ⟩ is used after a consonant m mb p for /◌ᶣ/ in labio-palatalized ⟨myw mbyw pyw⟩ .
Palatalized ⟨dny, dmy, dpy, dy, kpy, ky, ly, mby, mty, my, ndy, nmy, ny, py, tpy, vy⟩ .
See also
( Latin-script letters) A a , â , b , Ch ch , D d , e , é , ê , Gh gh , i , î , j , K k , L l , M m , N n , Ń ń , o , ó , P p , T t , U u , V v , W w , Y y , ꞉
Yoruba
Pronunciation
Letter
y (lower case , upper 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 (lower case , upper 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