Etymologically
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hey

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is a natural exclamation, Middle English hei,[2][3][4] possibly imitative,[4][5] compared with Old French hai, Dutch and German hei and Swedish hej.[3][2] Etymonline compares Latin eia and Greek εἶα (eîa).[2] Latin hei was a cry of grief or fear, but heia, eia an interjection of joy.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A call implying challenge, anger or derision: about 1200,[2][4] before 1225 in the OED, as a call to attract attention.[6] Etymonline quotes an example from the life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria, about 1200.[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle English spellings include hei, hai, ai, he and heh.[2] Later in Middle English it expressed sorrow or concern, and was a shout of encouragement to hunting dogs.[2] In modern use it is often weakened, expressing pleasure or surprise.[2][7] Hey for, in applause, is from 1689,[6] hey presto, a conjurer's command, from 1731,[6] and hey, Rube!, a circus rallying cry, from 1882.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – a cry of challenge or derision.[2][4]
  • 1689 – hey for.[6]
  • 1731 – hey presto.[6]
  • 1882 – hey, Rube!.[6]

Modern meaning

Interjection

  1. Used to attract attention or to express surprise, appreciation, wonder or pleasure.

Word family

  • heyday
  • hey presto
  • hey Rube
  • hi
  • heigh

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin