hey
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
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 edit
Interjection edit
hey
- An exclamation to get attention.
- Hey, look at this!
- Hey! Listen!
- A protest or reprimand.
- Hey! Stop that!
- An expression of surprise.
- Hey! This is new!
- (chiefly US) An informal greeting, similar to hi.
- Hey! How's it going?
- A request for repetition or explanation; an expression of confusion.
- Hey? How's that?
- Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
- 1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, page vi. 54:
- "Who 's a cur - now - hey?"
- 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 edit
- (exclamation to get attention): oi, yo; see also Thesaurus:hey
- (expression of surprise): blimey, gee whiz, yowzah; see also Thesaurus:wow
- (for repetition or explanation): eh, huh
- (informal greeting): hi, howdy, wotcher; see also Thesaurus:hello
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
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See also edit
- huh
- hay is for horses
- hey on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology 2 edit
From French haie (“hedge”), with reference to the weaving patterns used in hedgelaying.
Noun edit
hey (plural heys)
- (country dancing) A choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave between one another, passing by left and right shoulder alternately.
Translations edit
Etymology 3 edit
See he.
Noun edit
hey (plural heys)
- Alternative spelling of he (“Hebrew letter”)
See also edit
- Yah-ta-hey (etymologically unrelated)
Anagrams edit
Faroese edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation edit
Interjection edit
hey
- hi, hey, hello
- Synonyms: halló, góðan morgun, góðan dag, gott kvøld
- Antonyms: farvæl, vit síggjast
- hey aftur! ― hello again!
Icelandic edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Old Norse hey, from Proto-Germanic *hawją.
Noun edit
hey n (genitive singular heys, nominative plural hey)
- (usually uncountable) hay
Declension edit
Etymology 2 edit
Interjection edit
hey
Middle English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Old English hīġ, hīeġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hawi, from Proto-Germanic *hawją (“hay”).
Noun edit
hey (uncountable)
Alternative forms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- “hei, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 2 edit
From Old English *hē, ēa. See English hey for more.
Interjection edit
hey
Alternative forms edit
Descendants edit
References edit
- “hei, interj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 3 edit
Noun edit
hey
- Alternative form of heye (“hedge”)
Etymology 4 edit
Noun edit
hey (uncountable)
- Alternative form of hye (“haste”)
Etymology 5 edit
Pronoun edit
hey
- Alternative form of he (“he”)
Etymology 6 edit
Pronoun edit
hey
- Alternative form of he (“they”)
Etymology 7 edit
Verb edit
hey (third-person singular simple present heyeth, present participle heyende, heyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle heyed)
- Alternative form of heien (“to lift up”)
Etymology 8 edit
Pronoun edit
hey (comparative heyer, superlative heyest)
- Alternative form of heigh (“high”)
Portuguese edit
Verb edit
hey
Somali edit
Verb edit
hey
Spanish edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Unadapted borrowing from English hey.
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /ˈei/ [ˈei̯]
- Syllabification: hey
- IPA(key): (imitating English) /ˈxei/ [ˈxei̯]
- Rhymes: -ei
Interjection edit
¡hey!
Related terms edit
Yola edit
Etymology 1 edit
Noun edit
hey
- Alternative form of hea (“he”)
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
hey
- Alternative form of hye (“hay”)
- 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 46:
- Chourch hey;
- Church yard;
References edit
- 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