| 释义 |
▪ I. ay, aye, adv.|eɪ|
Forms: 3 aȝȝ, 3–4 ai, 5 ei, aey, 6 aie, 4– aye, 3– ay.
[Early ME. aȝȝ, ai, ei: a. ON. ei, ey, cogn. with OE. á (:—*áw), ME. o, oo, OS. eo, OHG. eo, io, MHG. ie, mod.G. je, Goth. aiw, acc. of aiws ‘age, eternity’:—OTeut. *aiwo-z, cogn. w. L. ævu-m. Cf. Gr. ἀεί, αἰϝεί ‘ever,’ and αἰϝών- ‘age.’ Preceded in Eng. by the native á, ó, which also continued for several centuries as the southern form: the two were combined in the phrase ‘for ay and oo.’ Except in poetry, ay is still northern. The spelling fluctuates between ay and aye: the former is preferable on grounds of etymology, phonology, and analogy. The word rimes, in the literary speech, and in all the dialects, with the group bay, day, gay, hay, may, way. On the other hand, aye ‘yes’ does not rime with these, and should not be written ay. See aye.]
1. a. Ever, always, continually; b. at all times, on all occasions. (Now only in Sc. and north. dial.)
c1200Ormin 3212 Hiss drinnch wass waterr aȝȝ occ aȝȝ. c1220Hali Meid. 21 Ah schulen weimeres lead ai mare in helle. c1250Gen. & Ex. 5 Luuen god and seruen him ay. c1386Chaucer Monk's T. 197 An ydolaster was he ay. c1400Apol. Loll. 27 He doþ ai þo þingis þat plesun God. a1440Sir Degrev. 40 He bare the pryes aey. c1440Sir Gowther (1883) 260 Hyt hong ei be his syde. 1450Myrc 452 The ioye þat lasteþ ay. 1509Barclay Ship of Fooles (1570) 210 Flatterers ay speake fayrest when they lye. 1562Leigh Armorie Prel., But from the light aie shrowds her selfe aside. 1605Shakes. Macb. iv. i. 134 Let this pernitious houre Stand aye accursed in the Kalender! 1724A. Ramsay Tea-T. Misc. (1733) I. 3 Its sweets I'll ay remember. 1790Burns Tam O'Shanter, And ay the ale was growing better. 1826J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 252 They aye behaved generously to me.
†2. with comparative degree. (Still in Sc.)
a1325Metr. Hom. 73 Ay the halyar that a man es, The mar lufes he meknes. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 136 And ay þe lenger ich lete þe go · þe lasse treuthe ys with þe. c1400Apol. Loll. 26 Ay þe moo lusts þat þei haue here, ay þe more schal ben þer peyn. Mod. Sc. Things grew ay the langer, the waur [i.e. ever the longer, the worse].
3. Phrases:
a. for ay: for ever, to all eternity. Also amplified, for ever and ay; in ME. for ay and o. (Only poet. in Eng.; in prose use in Sc.)
a1300Cursor M. 6218 Þat suld vs serue for euer and ai. c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 1034 But that was infynyte for ay and oo. 1590R. Harvey Pl. Perc. 24 Where I for aie will make thy praises tarry. 1598Barret Theor. Warres Pref. 6 His trauels do deserue our prayse for ay. 1706De Foe Jure Div. Pref. 36 There let it ly for ever and for ay. 1838Mrs. Browning Rom. Ganges xvi, The love will last for aye.
†b. in aye: for ever. Obs.
a1300E.E. Psalter lxii. 9 God oure helper in ai es he.
4. As adj. Eternal. rare—1.
1839Bailey Festus xxv. (1848) 313 Whose flowings forth are aye and infinite.
5. In comb. = Ever:
a. with pples., as ay-during, ay-living, ay-remaining, ay-running, ay-varied, ay-lasting;
b. with adverbs, as ay-forth: ever onward. Also ay-green.
1580Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong, Eternel, euerlasting, ayduring. 1589Tri. Love & Fortune iii. in Hazl. Dodsl. VI. 192 Ay-during still thy woe. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 386 Ay-living herbs. 1608Shakes. Per. iii. i. 63 Aye-remaining lamps. 1857Emerson Poems 10 His aye-rolling orbit. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 327 Springs ay-running by. 1649Drummond Wks. (1711) 30/2 Ay-varied bliss. a1375Joseph Arim. 126 Þat he nas god ay forþ. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 14 That it lest ay furth in memory.
▪ II. ay, int.|eɪ|
Forms: 3–5 ey, 5 ei, 7 eigh, 7–9 aye, 6– ay.
[In the later ay me! adopted from, or influenced by, F. ahi, aï, It. ahi; cf. OF. aymi! It. ahime! Sp. ay de mi! The ME. ey, ei was probably a natural ejaculation; nothing similar is found in OE.: the MHG. and mod.G. ey! is probably of independent development; and though there is greater possibility of its being an adoption of OF. aï, this would almost certainly have given ay, ai, which are not found even as variants in ME. The modern northern dial. ay! eh! or eigh! (eː) is probably the ME. ey!, but may be merely the earlier a!, as OE. wá is now wae (= weː) in the north.]
1. = Ah! O! (Now the common northern exclamation of surprise, invocation, earnestness.)
1340Ayenb. 105 Ey god, huo þet couþe wel al þane zang, hou he ssolde vinde uayre notes. c1386Chaucer Pard. T. 453 Ey, Goddis precious dignite! 1693W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 890 Eigh you mock me. 1863Mrs. Toogood Yorksh. Dial., Ay my word! I am glad to see you.
2. ay me! = Alas! Ah me!—an ejaculation of regret, sorrow, pity.
1591Spenser Virg. Gnat 353 Ay me, that thankes so much should faile of meed. 1671Milton Samson 331 Ay me, another inward grief awak't. 1850Mrs. Browning Poems II. 29 Ay me! how dread can look the Dead. 1860Tennyson Tithonus, Ay me! ay me! the woods decay and fall.
b. substantively. The ejaculation as an expression of sorrow, etc.
1607Beaumont Wom. Hater iii. i, Draw Sonnets from the melting lovers brain; Ayme's, and Elegies. 1633T. Adams Comm. 2 Pet. i. 6 Aches and aye-mes are incident to intemperate houses.
▪ III. ay
variant of aye, yes; obs. f. any.
▪ IV. ay(e
obs. form of egg, and awe. |