*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Shay

Variant of Shea, from Irish Ó Séaghdha.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A geared steam locomotive, patented by Ephraim Shay.

name

A surname from Irish. · A unisex given name transferred from the surname. · A diminutive of the male given name Seamus.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of Shea, from Irish Ó Séaghdha.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Ó Séaghdha"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Ó Séaghdha"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Shea",
      "Shea#English"
    ],
    [
      "Ó Séaghdha",
      "Ó Séaghdha#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A geared steam locomotive, patented by Ephraim Shay."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "83b7d20bfe9222ba3c3fe82d62dc7cc97c0e57f1dd22ffe839ac90958b7dc854",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e20bf7b312ac58e610dcf10cadbdb5b4116b86496e79f7fc6d4967fb2dfce1ed",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 332885
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Irish.",
        "A unisex given name transferred from the surname.",
        "A diminutive of the male given name Seamus."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b732aa9e83c16f7c3b4e691fc61019009d1cf65c448990854367fc173ef23a01",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fdae5f9b2a75e840fe8e8de27dad7791fae032eaac4ce3f1c614a8c122fd83e4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 332884
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Shay →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-U2hheQ