y

Y is the second-to-last letter of the alphabet.

(noun)

An example of y is the letter "Y."

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See y in Webster's New World College Dictionary

or Y

noun pl. Y's, y's

  1. the twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet: from the Greek upsilon
  2. any of the speech sounds that this letter represents, as, in English, the semivowel (y) at the beginning of a syllable, as in yes or beyond, or the vowel (i) of myth, (ē) of holy, or (ī) of my
  3. a type or impression for y or Y
  4. the twenty-fifth in a sequence or group
  5. an object shaped like

adjective

  1. of y or Y
  2. twenty-fifth in a sequence or group
  3. shaped like

noun

  1. the second of a set of unknown quantities, x usually being the first
  2. a variable
  3. an ordinate

  1. yard(s)
  2. year(s)
  3. yocto-

noun

  1. YMCA
  2. YWCA
  3. YMHA
  4. YWHA

yotta-

yen: now usually ¥

  1. Elec. admittance
  2. Chem. yttrium

forming, together with the appropriate inflectional change in the base, the past participle of verbs: its use, as a poetic archaism, survived until the end of the 16th cent.: yclept

Origin: ME y-, i- < OE ge-, perfective prefix (basic sense “together”): for IE base see com-

  1. little, dear: used in forming diminutives, nicknames, and terms of endearment [kitty, Billy, daddy]
  2. -ie (sense )

Origin: ME -y, -i, -ie, prob. based on OFr -i, -e, in such familiar names as Davi (for David), Mathe (for Matheu), etc.

  1. having, full of, or characterized by: dirty, healthy
  2. rather, somewhat: yellowy, chilly, dusky
  3. inclined or tending to: drowsy, sticky
  4. suggestive of, somewhat like: wavy

Origin: ME -y, -ie < OE -ig, akin to L -ic(us), Gr -ik(os)

  1. quality or condition: jealousy, zoanthropy
  2. a shop or goods of a (specified) kind: coopery
  3. a collective body of a (specified) kind: soldiery

Origin: ME -ie < OFr < L -ia < or akin to Gr -ia, -eia

action of: inquiry

Origin: ME -ie < Anglo-Fr < L -ium

See y in American Heritage Dictionary 4

or Y

noun pl. Y's y's or Y's also ys or Ys
  1. The 25th letter of the modern English alphabet.
  2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter y.
  3. The 25th in a series.
  4. Something shaped like the letter Y.

The symbol for ordinate.

noun
  1. The Young Men's Christian Association, The Young Women's Christian Association, or one of their facilities. Used with the.
  2. The Young Men's Hebrew Association, The Young Women's Hebrew Association, or one of their facilities. Used with the.

  1. The symbol for the element yttrium.
  2. The symbol for admittance.
  3. The symbol for hypercharge.

abbreviation
year

or -ey

suffix
  1. Characterized by; consisting of: clayey.
  2. a. Like: summery.
    b. To some degree; somewhat; rather: chilly.
  3. Tending toward; inclined toward: sleepy.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old English -ig

.

suffix
  1. Condition; state; quality: jealousy.
  2. a. Activity: cookery.
    b. Instance of a specified action: entreaty.
  3. a. Place for an activity: cannery.
    b. Result or product of an activity: laundry.
  4. Collection; body; group: soldiery.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English -ie

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Latin -ia

Origin: . Sense 2b, ultimately from Latin -ium

.

or -ie

suffix
  1. Small one: doggy.
  2. Dear one: sweetie.
  3. One having to do with or characterized by: townie.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English -ie, -y

.

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