Etymology Contraction of you all, and/or from Scots ye aw. Attested since at least 1631. Compare Dutch jullie (originally jij lui (literally “you people”)) for a similar development of a new plural pronoun out of Proto-Germanic *jīz that originally was already plural.
African-American Vernacular; New York Latino English; Indian South African English; Newfoundland and Labrador; African-American Vernacular; New York Latino English; Indian South African English; Newfoundland and Labrador
[...] and this y'all know is true, [...]1631, William Lisle, The Faire Æthiopian:
Much later, after dozens of the men had come up to me to shake my hand (with both of theirs) and say "Y'all come back soon, hear? ...1987, Judson D. Hale, The education of a Yankee: an American memoir, page 3:
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People in the South do indeed seem to be addressing a single person as "y'all." For instance, a restaurant patron might ask a waiter, "What y'all got for dessert tonight?" In that case, "y'all" refers collectively to the people who run the restaurant.2007, Roy Blount, Long time leaving: dispatches from up South, page 117:
I made this for both y'all and your wife to enjoy.
You alla sudden gettin’ human with yo’ N-word and now a US Grant. Y’all becomin’ a rare white boy, ain’t ya?2023, Argent Amos, “Job One”, in California Roll: A Paranormal Journey, Bublish, →ISBN:
Etymology Contraction of you all, and/or from Scots ye aw. Attested since at least 1631. Compare Dutch jullie (originally jij lui (literally “you people”)) for a similar development of a new plural pronoun out of Proto-Germanic *jīz that originally was already plural.
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Ambitransitive, Informal To use the pronoun "y'all" (to).
She blithely maintained that she could have smiled magnolias and "y'alled" her way out of any tight spots.1971, Frank Deford, There she is: the life and times of Miss America:
With his swarthy complexion and jet black, straight hair, Louis was actually quite dashing. He wore his expensively cut clothes and heavy rings well, too. Besides his short stature, his most noticeable peculiarity was that he had a voice like Lytton Strachey's, which moved alarmingly, in the middle of a sentence, or sometimes halfway through a word, from a booming bass to the high-pitched, almost whistling soprano of a boy whose voice has not yet broken. As he y'alled and drawled ...1990, Paul Levy, Finger lickin' good: a Kentucky childhood:
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Indeed, non-Southerners may feel themselves "y'alled" to death down here, yet even the most stony- faced New Englander will be charmed by the warmth of the Cloister's staff. The tradition of service is simply better and more deeply entrenched in the South than in any other region of the United States.1997, Terence Sieg, Golf travel's guide to the world's greatest golf destinations: the ultimate resource for the discriminating golfer:
y'all
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Etymology Contraction of you all, and/or from Scots ye aw. Attested since at least 1631. Compare Dutch jullie (originally jij lui (literally “you people”)) for a similar development of a new plural pronoun out of Proto-Germanic *jīz that originally was already plural.