Ey
/eɪ/noun
A dialectal interjection used to express surprise, inquiry, or a request for repetition, chiefly a variant of “hey.”
Did you know?Unlike words with clear Indo-European ancestry, interjections such as “ey” often preserve expressive human sounds whose origins cannot be traced to a single ancient root.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
ey
“An interjection used to call attention or express surprise; an early variant form related to “hey.””
15th–16th Century
English
hey
“An exclamation used to attract attention or express surprise; forms without initial h also occurred.”
17th Century
English
ey
“A dialectal and colloquial spelling used in speech-like writing.”
Modern English
English
ey
“A nonstandard or dialectal interjection, often functioning like “hey,” “eh,” or “what?””