*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yay

Alteration of yea (“yes; even, truly, verily”). More at yea.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
adv

Alternative spelling of yea.

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

Alteration of yea (“yes; even, truly, verily”). More at yea.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of yea."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "not-comparable"
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}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
intj

An expression of happiness. · Misspelling of yea.

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

Alteration of yea (“yes; even, truly, verily”). More at yea.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "yea",
      "yea#English"
    ],
    [
      "yea",
      "yea#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "lang_code": "is",
      "word": "jei",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "イェイ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "yei"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "イェーイ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "yēi"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "lang_code": "uk",
      "word": "єй",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "jej"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An expression of happiness.",
        "Misspelling of yea."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "alt-of",
        "misspelling"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Cocaine (powder or crack).

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

Clipping of yayo, from Spanish llello.

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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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yayo"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of yayo"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "llello"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish llello"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "yayo",
      "yayo#English"
    ],
    [
      "llello",
      "llello#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Cocaine (powder or crack)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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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 yay →

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-eWF5