Yeah
/jɛə/noun
An informal word used to express agreement, affirmation, or acknowledgment.
Did you know?Modern English “yeah” is a relatively recent spoken form that grew out of older English affirmatives, showing how even the most casual words can harden into social magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*so
“That, this; the basis of demonstrative and later affirmative forms in Germanic”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*jā
“An affirmative particle, yes”
Old English
English
ġēa
“Yes; indeed; certainly”
Middle English
English
yea
“An affirmative word used in speech and writing”
17th–18th Century
English
yeah
“A colloquial spoken variant of yes/yea”
Modern English
English
yeah
“Informal affirmative response”