# yea

Pronunciation: say "YAY" /jeɪ/

## Interjection

1. Nonstandard spelling of yeah: yes, in casual speech or writing. *(nonstandard)* — Alternative spelling of yeah. (pronounced: say "YEH" /jɛə/)
   - Simple: Nonstandard spelling of yeah, meaning yes in casual talk. Many people see it as a mistake.
   - _Yea, that movie was great._
   - _Yea, we can meet up a little later._
4. Misspelling of yay: a cry of delight or celebration. *(nonstandard)* — Misspelling of yay.
   - Simple: A misspelling of yay: a happy shout when something good happens.
   - _Yea, our team made it to the finals!_
   - _Yea, the show is back for another season!_

## Noun

2. A vote in favor of a proposal, whether spoken aloud or cast some other way.
   - Simple: A vote that means yes to a plan or proposal.
   - _The bill needed a clear majority of yeas to move forward._
   - _Each yea was recorded by name in the official minutes._

## Adverb

6. So; used to indicate a size or amount, often shown with a hand gesture giving the measurement. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: Used with a hand gesture to show how big or tall something is.
   - _He caught a fish about yea long, spreading his hands two feet apart._
   - _The snowbank was yea high by morning, well past my knees._

## Adverb

3. Yes; used to affirm or express agreement. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Yes. Used to agree or to say something is true.

## Conjunction

5. Or even; used to introduce a stronger and more fitting expression than the one just stated. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Used to put an even stronger word right after a first, weaker one.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3, 5–6** — Old English ġēa or iā ("yea, yes") became Middle English ye, ȝea or ya, and it goes back to Proto-West Germanic *jā. Its sound today is the result of an irregular change, probably because people linked it with its opposite, "nay."
**Meaning 1** — From "yeah".
**Meaning 4** — A misspelling of the cheer yay, which is itself an alteration of the older word yea.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/yea (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).