Definition dey
Etymology 1
From Middle English deye, deie, daie, from Old English dǣġe (“maker of bread; baker; dairy-maid”), from Proto-Germanic *daigijǭ (“kneader of bread, maid”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- (“to knead, form, build”). Cognate with Swedish deja, Icelandic deigja (“dairy-maid”); compare dairy, dough, lady.
Noun
dey (plural deys)
- (Britain dialectal, Scotland) A servant who has charge of the dairy; a dairymaid.
Etymology 2
From French dey, from Turkish dayı.
Noun
dey (plural deys)
- (historical) The ruler of the Regency of Algiers (now Algeria) under the Ottoman Empire.
Etymology 3
Pronoun
dey
- Eye dialect spelling of they, representing African American Vernacular English.
- Eye dialect spelling of there, representing African American Vernacular English. (Can we add an example for this sense?)