English word origin

Etymology of wye

Attested as wi c. 1200. Of uncertain origin. Perhaps borrowed from Old French ui or gui.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To make something into a wye (letter Y) shape. · To reverse the direction of a train using a wye.

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

Attested as wi c. 1200. Of uncertain origin. Perhaps borrowed from Old French ui or gui.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Old French",
      "Old French"
    ],
    [
      "ui",
      "ui"
    ],
    [
      "gui",
      "gui"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make something into a wye (letter Y) shape.",
        "To reverse the direction of a train using a wye."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "d6308e3b885eaab69b33291d4e2e21956a90ce4c49c6de8f4d50c64bd5085343",
      "rawRecordSha256": "52401a44f3cf2574c4119e28f710613edf36cc3dcb8a5974e7a32112fce0dab1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1075018
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

The name of the Latin script letter Y/y. · A Y-shaped object: a wye level, wye-connected. Especially a Y-shaped connection of three sections of road or railroad track.

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

Attested as wi c. 1200. Of uncertain origin. Perhaps borrowed from Old French ui or gui.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Old French",
      "Old French"
    ],
    [
      "ui",
      "ui"
    ],
    [
      "gui",
      "gui"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Alabama",
      "lang_code": "akz",
      "word": "wàyka",
      "raw_tags": [
        "reshaped by analogy or addition of morphemes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The name of the Latin script letter Y/y.",
        "A Y-shaped object: a wye level, wye-connected. Especially a Y-shaped connection of three sections of road or railroad track."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a9624bbdf4ff929096625a82cfb231e0ed3d1ffb92719b74228e2517fe4da95d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "592e1ba96f5db53c873463c605486b5437ff2ffe2a3e9a7706f17e0b4081af52",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1075017
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "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 wye →

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-d3ll