yea

Definition

Yes, indeed.

Etymology

From Middle English ye, ȝea, ya, ȝa, from Old English ġēa, iā (“yea, yes”), from Proto-West Germanic *jā. The modern pronunciation shows an irregular development of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language, probably from association with the antonym nay.

Example Sentences

• "1597–1598, Joseph Hall, Virgidemiarum Yea, and the prophet of the heav'nly lyre, / Great Solomon sings in the English quire […]"
• "Let no man say that the Devil is not a cruel tyrant. He may give his folk some scrapings of unhallowed pleasure, but he will exact tithes, yea, of anise and cummin, in return, and there is aye the reckoning to pay at the hinder end."
• "Something of the curate's aptitude for abasement came to him at that moment, and he wept, yea, holding with both hands to Miss Gimblet, in his grief he wept aloud, while Miss Gimblet wiped his countenance with her handkerchief and wept a little, too."