aye

alternative ay · alternative oy

1. archaicnot comparableEver, always.

   The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, / And southward aye we fled.

   1834, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

   3 more examples

   […]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

   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

alternative ay · alternative oy

1. Yes; yea; a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question.

   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

   1 more example

   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

2. nauticalA word used to acknowledge a command from a superior, usually preceded by a verbatim repeat-back.

present singular third person ayes · participle present ayeing · nonstandard participle present aying · participle past ayed · past ayed · alternative ay · alternative oy

1. To respond with an "aye".

   The men ayed their agreement.

   1981, Penelope Neri, Passion's Rapture, page 160

plural ayes · alternative ay · alternative oy

1. An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative.

   The ayes have it.

   1 more example

   to call for the ayes and nays

   Synonyms: yes · Antonyms: nay

1. New ZealandalternativeAlternative spelling of ay (question tag).

1. alternativeAlternative 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

   2 more examples

   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

   "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

2. Used in aye aye.

1. Multicultural London Englishalternativeregional African-American VernacularAlternative spelling of eh.

plural Ayes

1. A surname.

1. SingaporeabbreviationAbbreviation of Ayer Rajah Expressway.