Etymology From Middle English ay, ai, aȝȝ, from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), from *aiwaz (“age; law”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“long time”). Doublet of aeviternity and aevum. See also Old English āwo, āwa, ā, ō, Middle Dutch ie, German je; also Old English ǣ(w) (“law”), West Frisian ieu (“century”), Dutch eeuw (“century”); also Irish aois (“age, period”), Breton oad (“age, period”), Latin ævum (“eternity”), Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn).
[…]Do that good miſcheefe, which may make this Iſland / Thine owne for euer, and I thy Caliban, / For aye thy foot-licker.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 15, column 2:
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, / And southward aye we fled.1834, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
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Huge hills and mountains of casks on casks were piled upon her wharves, and side by side the world-wandering whale ships lay silent and safely moored at last; while from others came a sound of carpenters and coopers, with blended noises of fires and forges to melt the pitch, all betokening that new cruises were on the start; that one most perilous and long voyage ended, only begins a second; and a second ended, only begins a third, and so on, for ever and for aye.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Wheelbarrow”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, pages 65–66:
Let the Amen sound from His people again; / Gladly for aye we adore Him.1863, Catherine Winkworth (translator), Praise to the Lord, the Almighty:
Etymology "Appears suddenly about 1575, and is exceedingly common about 1600." Probably from use of aye (“ever, always”) as expression of agreement or affirmation, or from Middle English a ye (“oh yes”), or synthesis of both. Compare Faroese ája (“certainly, ah yes”). More at oh, yea. Online Etymology Dictionary also with these posits a possible descent from I (as if clipped from e.g. "I assent").
1
Yes; yea; a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question.
Tro[ylus]. Haue I not tarried? Pan[darus]. I the grinding; but you muſt tarry the boulting. Troy. Haue I not tarried? Paude.^([sic]) I the boulting; but you muſt tarry the leauening. Troy. Still haue I tarried. Pan. I, to the leauening, but heares yet in the word hereafter, the kneading, […]c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Famous Historie of Troylus and Cresseid. […] (First Quarto), London: […] G[eorge] Eld for R[ichard] Bonian and H[enry] Walley, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], signature A2, recto:
david: […] Will he surely give him his daughter? The daughter of his house in Gilgal? soldier: Aye, surely he will.1925 spring, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, scene VII, in David: A Play, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1926, →OCLC, page 46:
2
Nautical, Transport A word used to acknowledge a command from a superior, usually preceded by a verbatim repeat-back.
Etymology "Appears suddenly about 1575, and is exceedingly common about 1600." Probably from use of aye (“ever, always”) as expression of agreement or affirmation, or from Middle English a ye (“oh yes”), or synthesis of both. Compare Faroese ája (“certainly, ah yes”). More at oh, yea. Online Etymology Dictionary also with these posits a possible descent from I (as if clipped from e.g. "I assent").
1
To respond with an "aye".
The men ayed their agreement.1981, Penelope Neri, Passion's Rapture, page 160:
aye
noun
Etymology "Appears suddenly about 1575, and is exceedingly common about 1600." Probably from use of aye (“ever, always”) as expression of agreement or affirmation, or from Middle English a ye (“oh yes”), or synthesis of both. Compare Faroese ája (“certainly, ah yes”). More at oh, yea. Online Etymology Dictionary also with these posits a possible descent from I (as if clipped from e.g. "I assent").
1
An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative.
to call for the ayes and nays
The ayes have it.
aye
intj
1
Alternative Alternative spelling of ay: expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.
Iſt’s der? Keine Antwort? — Er iſt’s! Reinhold? Reinhold’, der boͤſe Feind jagt dich parforce! Ey, ey, ey! Welch Skandal!1799 [1793], W. A. [i.e., August Wilhelm] Iffland, anonymous translator, act III, in The Bachelors, a Comedy in Five Acts. […], London: […] J[ohn] W[alker] Myers, […] for R[obert] Pitkeathley, […] and W[illiam] West, […], →OCLC, page 51:
jonathan: Oh, peace! Thou art all mischief, Michal, Thou shouldst be married to a Philistine, for his undoing. michal: Ayeee! This David has come back to trouble us! Why didst not thou slay the Philistine, Jonathan?1925 spring, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, scene X, in David: A Play, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1926, →OCLC, page 69:
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"Aye, aye, aye," Federer said when he hit an uncharacteristically wayward shot when serving for the match, such were his comfort levels.2020 January 26, Anthony Colangelo, “[Roger] Federer survives another fright to make quarter-finals”, in The Age, Melbourne, Vic., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Jan 2020: