noun · rare

ey

ey · eyren · eys

An eggAn egg.

Meaning

3 senses

An egg.
(UK)A small island formed by the buildup of silt or gravel at the confluence of two rivers or streams.
A place that has a name ending in "-ey" because it is or was located at such an island.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English ei, ey, from Old English ǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic *aij,

Inherited from Middle English ei, ey, from Old English ǣġ, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją (“egg”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”), probably from *h₂éwis (“bird”), from *h₂ew- (“to consume”). Doublet of egg, huevo, oeuf, and ovum.

Inherited from Middle English ei, i, ie, from Old English ēġ, īġ, īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic *auwju, from Proto-Germanic *awjō (“watery land, floodplain, island”), earlier *agwjō ~ *ahwjō (literally “(that which is) of the water”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ (“flowing water”) + *-yeh₂.

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