Etymograph

English

hey

Hey comes from Middle English hey, from Old English *hē, an interjection probably of natural, sound-symbolic origin.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*hēreconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hey
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1900hey

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*hēreconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hey
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1900hey

Earliest quotation: 1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim: “Who 's a cur - now - hey?”

The story

From Middle English hey, hei, also without h- in ey, from Old English *hē, ēa (interjection), attested as first element in hēlā, ēalā (‘O!, alas!, oh!, lo!’). Probably a natural expression, as may be inferred from its presence with similar meaning in many other unrelated languages: for example, Burmese ဟေး (he:), Finnish hei, Unami hè, and Mandarin 哎 (āi), and various sound-alikes as Ancient Greek εἶα (eîa) and Latin eia, eho, Sanskrit हे (he).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱís ‘this (here)’

cis

through Proto-Germanic *hiz ‘this, this one’

his, him, her, here, hence, hitherto, hither

through Old English *hē

he, en

through Middle English hey

hi, hay

Another origin of hey

  1. Frankishc. 250–700*haggjureconstructed
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500haga
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400haie
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600haye‘hedge’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presenthaie‘hedge’
  6. Englishtodayhey

Today it means

intj An exclamation to get attention.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old English *hē / hey

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