Aye Definition

Origin of Aye

• From Middle English aye, ai, agg, from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *ī́ui ‘ever, always’ (compare Old English ā, ō, Middle Dutch ie, German je), accusative of *aiwaz ‘age; law’ (compare Old English ǣ(w) ‘law’, West Frisian ieu ‘century’, Dutch eeuw ‘century’), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éi̯us ‘long time’ (compare Irish aois ‘age, period’,Breton oad ‘age, period’,Latin ævum ‘eternity’, Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn)).

  From Wiktionary

• Probably from use of aye as expression of agreement, or from Middle English a ye (“oh yes”). More at oh, yea.

  From Wiktionary

• Perhaps from Middle English ayye ay always aye² ye yes yea

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

• Middle English ai from Old Norse ei aiw- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition