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Wiktionary

hey

See also: Hey

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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

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Interjection

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hey

  1. An exclamation to get attention.
    Hey, look at this!
    Hey! Listen!
  2. A protest or reprimand.
    Hey! Stop that!
  3. An expression of surprise.
    Hey! This is new!
  4. (chiefly US) An informal greeting, similar to hi.
    Hey! How's it going?
  5. A request for repetition or explanation; an expression of confusion.
    Hey? How's that?
  6. Used as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
  7. 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
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Derived terms
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Translations
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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.
Translations to be checked

See also

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Etymology 2

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From French haie (“hedge”), with reference to the weaving patterns used in hedgelaying. Doublet of hedge and quay.

Noun

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hey (plural heys)

  2. (country dancing) A choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave between one another, passing by left and right shoulder alternately.
Translations
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Etymology 3

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See he.

Noun

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hey (plural heys)

  1. Alternative spelling of he (“Hebrew letter”)

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Anagrams

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Faroese

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hey

  1. hi, hey, hello
    Synonyms: halló, góðan morgun, góðan dag, gott kvøld
    Antonyms: farvæl, vit síggjast
    hey aftur! ― hello again!

Icelandic

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Etymology

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From Old Norse hey, from Proto-Germanic *hawją.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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hey n (genitive singular heys, nominative plural hey)

  1. (usually uncountable) hay

Declension

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Declension of hey (neuter)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative hey heyið hey heyin
accusative hey heyið hey heyin
dative heyi heyinu heyjum heyjunum
genitive heys heysins heyja heyjanna

Middle English

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Etymology 1

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From Old English hīġ, hīeġ, from Proto-West Germanic *hawi, from Proto-Germanic *hawją (“hay”).

Noun

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hey (uncountable)

  1. hay
Alternative forms
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Descendants
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  • English: hay
  • Scots: hey
  • Yola: hye, hey

References

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Etymology 2

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From Old English *hē, ēa. See English hey for more.

Interjection

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hey

  1. hey
Alternative forms
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Descendants
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References

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Etymology 3

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Noun

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hey

  1. Alternative form of heye (“hedge”)

Etymology 4

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Noun

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hey (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of hye (“haste”)

Etymology 5

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Pronoun

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hey

  1. Alternative form of he (“he”)

Etymology 6

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Pronoun

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hey

  1. Alternative form of he (“they”)

Etymology 7

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Verb

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hey (third-person singular simple present heyeth, present participle heyende, heyynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle heyed)

  1. Alternative form of heien (“to lift up”)

Etymology 8

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Pronoun

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hey (comparative heyer, superlative heyest)

  1. Alternative form of heigh (“high”)

Portuguese

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Verb

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hey

  1. Obsolete spelling of hei.

Somali

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Verb

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hey

  1. possess

Spanish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English hey.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈei/ [ˈei̯]
    • Syllabification: hey
  • IPA(key): (imitating English) /ˈxei/ [ˈxei̯]
  • Rhymes: -ei

Interjection

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¡hey!

  1. hey!
    Synonyms: eh, oye
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Further reading

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Yola

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Etymology 1

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Noun

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hey

  1. Alternative form of hea (“he”)

Etymology 2

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Noun

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hey

  1. Alternative form of hye (“hay”)
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 46:
      Chourch hey;
      Church yard;

References

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  • 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
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