"ay" meaning in Middle English

See ay in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adverb

IPA: /æi̯/ Forms: ai [alternative], ey [alternative]
Etymology: Borrowed from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), perhaps equivalent to the instrumental form of *aiwaz. Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”), which it displaced. Etymology templates: {{ety|enm|:bor|non:ey<id:time>|id=always}} [Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "time", "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "id" : "life", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*h₂ey-", "lang" : "ine-pro" }, { "alt" : "*-u", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "status" : "ok", "children" : [ ], "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*h₂óyu", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" }, { "keyword_abbrev" : "influ.", "keyword_label" : "Influenced by", "terms" : [ { "id" : "thematic", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*-os", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword" : "influence" } ], "lang_name" : "Proto-Germanic", "term" : "*aiwaz", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "gem-pro" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Old Norse", "term" : "ey", "lang" : "non" } ], "keyword" : "bor" } ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Middle English", "term" : "ay", "lang" : "enm" }" data-id="always" data-lang="enm" data-title="ay" id="Middle_English:_always">, {{bor+|enm|non|ei}} Borrowed from Old Norse ei, {{der|enm|gem-pro|*aiwa}} Proto-Germanic *aiwa, {{dbt|enm|ō//ā|t1=ever, always}} Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”), {{lg|displaced}} displaced, {{ety|enm|:bor|non:ey<id:time>|id=always}} Head templates: {{head|enm|adverb||||{{{2}}}|head=|var=}} ay, {{enm-adv}} ay
  1. always, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever
    Sense id: en-ay-enm-adv-BC1Reqw5 Categories (other): Pages with etymon, Middle English entries with etymon, Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Pages with etymon: 4 1 0 11 3 22 2 8 18 7 4 1 14 1 3 1 Disambiguation of Middle English entries with etymon: 100 0 Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 100 0
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

Etymology templates: {{ety|enm|id=egg}}, {{ety|enm|id=egg}} Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|var=1}} ay
  1. alternative form of ey (“egg”) Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: ey (extra: egg)
    Sense id: en-ay-enm-noun-veujpgxM
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "aye"
    },
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "ay"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Yola",
      "lang_code": "yol",
      "word": "aye"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "ei",
      "ei#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "ey",
      "ey#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwa",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwa"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwō"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwaz"
    ],
    [
      "ō",
      "o#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ā",
      "a/languages M to Z#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_number": "1",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:ey<id:time>",
        "id": "always"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"time\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"life\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ey-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"alt\" : \"*-u\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂óyu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"influ.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Influenced by\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"thematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"influence\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*aiwaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"ey\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"ay\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" }\" data-id=\"always\" data-lang=\"enm\" data-title=\"ay\" id=\"Middle_English:_always\">",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "ei"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Old Norse ei",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*aiwa"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *aiwa",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ō//ā",
        "t1": "ever, always"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”)",
      "name": "dbt"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "displaced"
      },
      "expansion": "displaced",
      "name": "lg"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:ey<id:time>",
        "id": "always"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), perhaps equivalent to the instrumental form of *aiwaz. Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”), which it displaced.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ai",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ey",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "adverb",
        "3": "",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "6": "{{{2}}}",
        "head": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "enm-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "4 1 0 11 3 22 2 8 18 7 4 1 14 1 3 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "always, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever"
      ],
      "id": "en-ay-enm-adv-BC1Reqw5",
      "links": [
        [
          "always",
          "always"
        ],
        [
          "constantly",
          "constantly"
        ],
        [
          "unceasingly",
          "unceasingly"
        ],
        [
          "eternally",
          "eternally"
        ],
        [
          "forever",
          "forever"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/æi̯/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ay"
}

{
  "etymology_number": "2",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "id": "egg"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "id": "egg"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "var": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "egg",
          "word": "ey"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "alternative form of ey (“egg”)"
      ],
      "id": "en-ay-enm-noun-veujpgxM",
      "links": [
        [
          "ey",
          "ey#Middle_English:_egg"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ay"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English adverbs",
    "Middle English doublets",
    "Middle English entries with etymon",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English terms borrowed from Old Norse",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old Norse",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "Middle English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ey- (life)",
    "Middle English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂óyu",
    "Middle English variant lemmas",
    "Pages with 27 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymon",
    "zag:Metals"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "aye"
    },
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "ay"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Yola",
      "lang_code": "yol",
      "word": "aye"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "ei",
      "ei#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "ey",
      "ey#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwa",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwa"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwō"
    ],
    [
      "*aiwaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aiwaz"
    ],
    [
      "ō",
      "o#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ā",
      "a/languages M to Z#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_number": "1",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:ey<id:time>",
        "id": "always"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"time\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"life\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ey-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"alt\" : \"*-u\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂óyu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"influ.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Influenced by\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"thematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"influence\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*aiwaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"ey\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"ay\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" }\" data-id=\"always\" data-lang=\"enm\" data-title=\"ay\" id=\"Middle_English:_always\">",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "ei"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Old Norse ei",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*aiwa"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *aiwa",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ō//ā",
        "t1": "ever, always"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”)",
      "name": "dbt"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "displaced"
      },
      "expansion": "displaced",
      "name": "lg"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:ey<id:time>",
        "id": "always"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), perhaps equivalent to the instrumental form of *aiwaz. Doublet of ō /ā (“ever, always”), which it displaced.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ai",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ey",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "adverb",
        "3": "",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "6": "{{{2}}}",
        "head": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "enm-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "always, constantly, unceasingly; eternally, forever"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "always",
          "always"
        ],
        [
          "constantly",
          "constantly"
        ],
        [
          "unceasingly",
          "unceasingly"
        ],
        [
          "eternally",
          "eternally"
        ],
        [
          "forever",
          "forever"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/æi̯/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ay"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with etymon",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English variant lemmas",
    "Pages with 27 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymon",
    "zag:Metals"
  ],
  "etymology_number": "2",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "id": "egg"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "id": "egg"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "var": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "ay",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "egg",
          "word": "ey"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "alternative form of ey (“egg”)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ey",
          "ey#Middle_English:_egg"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ay"
}

Download raw JSONL data for ay meaning in Middle English (4.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (c1bb342 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.