ay

Etymology 1

intj

1. Ah! alas!
2. Alternative spelling of aye ("yes")

noun

1. Alternative spelling of aye ("yes")
   counting the ays and the noes in a vote

Etymology 2

From Middle English ai, from Old Norse ei, from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“eternity, age”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“vitality”); cognate with Old English ā, Ancient Greek ἀεί (aeí, “always”), and Latin aevum (“an age”).

adv

1. (archaic, poetic or Northern England) Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time.
   O he that hath ay lived free, … 1670, John Barbour, The Acts and Life of the most victorious Conquerour Robert Bruce King of Scotland, as cited in 1860, Thomas Corser, Collectanea Anglo-poetica, page 160

Etymology 3

noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.
   It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh." 2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170
   ETA [is spoken] as "ee-tee-ay" instead of "I SPELL Echo Tango Alfa". 2016 CCEB, Communications Instructions Radiotelephone Procedures: ACP125 (G), p. 3-5

Etymology 4

intj

1. New Zealand spelling of eh (question tag)
   For example, New Zealanders tended to say "ay" at the end of sentences, but in the Asian community people used different tags to check whether people were still listening. 2013-11-13, “Surprising changes in the way Aucklanders speak”, in Stuff

Etymology 5

Origin uncertain; possibly related to eh and hey; popularized by a catch phrase in a 1970s sitcom.

intj

1. All right (inter); hooray (inter); cool (inter).