*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dey

From Middle English deye, deie, daie, from Old English dǣġe (“maker of bread; baker; dairy-maid”), from Proto-West Germanic *daigijā, from Proto-Germanic *daigijǭ (“kneader of bread, maid”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰe

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A servant who has charge of the dairy; a dairymaid.

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

From Middle English deye, deie, daie, from Old English dǣġe (“maker of bread; baker; dairy-maid”), from Proto-West Germanic *daigijā, from Proto-Germanic *daigijǭ (“kneader of bread, maid”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to knead, form, build”). Cognate with Swedish deja, Icelandic deigja (“dairy-maid”); compare dairy, dough, lady.

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.

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    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dairymaid"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰeyǵʰ-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "deye",
        "id": "dairymaid"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English deye"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dǣġe",
        "4": "",
        "5": "maker of bread; baker; dairy-maid"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dǣġe (“maker of bread; baker; dairy-maid”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*daigijā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *daigijā"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*daigijǭ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "kneader of bread, maid"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *daigijǭ (“kneader of bread, maid”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰeyǵʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to knead, form, build"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to knead, form, build”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "deja"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish deja"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "deigja",
        "3": "",
        "4": "dairy-maid"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic deigja (“dairy-maid”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "deye",
      "deye#Middle_English:_dairymaid"
    ],
    [
      "deie",
      "deie#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "daie",
      "daie#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dǣġe",
      "dæge#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*daigijā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/daigijā"
    ],
    [
      "*daigijǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/daigijǭ"
    ],
    [
      "*dʰeyǵʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰeyǵʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "deja",
      "deja#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "deigja",
      "deigja#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "dairy",
      "dairy#English"
    ],
    [
      "dough",
      "dough#English"
    ],
    [
      "lady",
      "lady#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A servant who has charge of the dairy; a dairymaid."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The ruler of the Regency of Algiers (now Algeria) under the Ottoman Empire.

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

From French dey, from Algerian Arabic داي from Ottoman Turkish دایی (modern Turkish dayı).

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": "fr",
        "3": "dey"
      },
      "expansion": "French dey"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "arq",
        "3": "داي"
      },
      "expansion": "Algerian Arabic داي"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ota",
        "3": "دایی"
      },
      "expansion": "Ottoman Turkish دایی"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "tr",
        "2": "dayı"
      },
      "expansion": "Turkish dayı"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dey",
      "dey#French"
    ],
    [
      "داي",
      "داي#Algerian_Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "دایی",
      "دایی#Ottoman_Turkish"
    ],
    [
      "dayı",
      "dayı#Turkish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The ruler of the Regency of Algiers (now Algeria) under the Ottoman Empire."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
intj

An informal Tamil-language term of address used when trying to get someone's attention.

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

From Tamil டேய் (“hey!”).

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": "ta",
        "3": "டேய்",
        "t": "hey!",
        "tr": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Tamil டேய் (“hey!”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "டேய்",
      "டேய்#Tamil"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An informal Tamil-language term of address used when trying to get someone's attention."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Manglish",
        "Singlish"
      ],
      "recordId": "2986adc56dbc38f7f87861c59af5aa9e6051aed07e557988a93c591c0d8941a5",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 229191
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}

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 dey →

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-ZGV5