ye

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“
"Arrah! it's too much of a philosopher ye are already, lad.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. definite article Archaic The.
  2. usage note
    In an attempt to seem quaint or old-fashioned, many store signs such as "Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe” use spellings that are no longer current. The word ye in such signs looks identical to the archaic second plural pronoun ye, but it is in fact not the same word. Ye in "Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe” is just an older spelling of the definite article the. The y in this ye was never pronounced (y) but was rather the result of improvisation by early printers. In Old English and early Middle English, the sound (þ) was represented by the letter thorn (þ). When printing presses were first set up in England in the 1470s, the type and the typesetters all came from Continental Europe, where this letter was not in use. The letter y was used instead because in the handwriting of the day the thorn was very similar to y. Thus we see such spellings as ye for the,yt or yat for that, and so on well into the 19th century. However, the modern revival of the archaic spelling of the has not been accompanied by a revival of the knowledge of how it was pronounced, with the result that (yē) is the usual pronunciation today.
  3. pronoun Archaic You.
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Examples (50)

  • "I'll say that fur ye--ye look mighty pritty And in fact the merriment in the hall at the sheriff's expense began to grow so exhilarating as to make him feel that the proceedings within were too interesting to lose. —  His "Day In Court" 1895
  • But I frar consider'ble nettled by yer words, ye see,--'kase I know I be a powerful, lazy, shif'less cuss Ye know a lie, then," his helpmate interrupted promptly Why, Aurely, hesh up,--ye--ye--_woman_, ye!" —  The Christmas Miracle 1911
  • "Ye'll lick where that lay, McKelvie, ye--ye--maker of meats for sailors," and the sweat rolled off his brow, and his voice was a skirl of rage McKelvie grabbed a horse-pistol from among his kegs Ye hound, I'll put a hole in ye that will be hurrying the gaugers tae fill wi' siller," and as quick as light he levelled the pistol and drew the trigger. —  The McBrides A Romance of Arran
  • "Not that I care where it hit, blast ye--ye'll never stop me now--for--hide under the rail you, Tim, with the rest--I'm after some of you." —  Sonnie-Boy's People
  • 'Tis na wonder she took ye--ye ne'er gi' her a chance to say no Supper's ready!" —  Prairie Flowers
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Misreading of ye, from Middle English þe, spelling of the, the (using the letter thorn).
  2. Middle English, from Old English gē; see yu- in Indo-European roots.
 

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