say

English Online Dictionary. What means say‎? What does say mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: sā, IPA^(key): /seɪ/
• (Canada) enPR: sā, IPA^(key): /seɪ/, [seː]
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1

From Middle English seyen, seien, seggen, from Old English seċġan (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to tell, talk”).

Cognate with West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk seia (“to say”), Swedish säga (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say; to tell”).

The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Alternative forms

• saie, saye, seye (obsolete)
• thay, zay (pronunciation spelling)

Verb

say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle said)

1. (transitive) To pronounce.

2. (transitive) To recite.
3. (transitive) To tell, either verbally or in writing.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     I want to say I’m sorry for yesterday. — It’s okay, Anna.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:say.
4. (transitive) To indicate in a written form.

5. (impersonal, transitive) To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact.
6. (informal, imperative, transitive) Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.
   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:say.
7. (intransitive) To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
8. (transitive, informal, of a possession, especially money) To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.

Conjugation

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

say (plural says)

1. A chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision.

Translations

Adverb

say (not comparable)

1. For example; let us assume.

Translations

Interjection

say

1. (US, colloquial) Used to gain someone's attention before making an inquiry or suggestion

Synonyms

• (used to gain attention): hey

Translations

References

• “say”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “say”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

From Middle French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum (“military cloak”).

Noun

say (countable and uncountable, plural says)

2. A type of fine cloth similar to serge.

Etymology 3

Aphetic form of assay.

Verb

say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle sayed)

1. To try; to assay.

Noun

say (plural says)

1. Trial by sample; assay; specimen.
   • , page 193

     If those principal works of God […] be but certain tastes and says, as if were, of that final benefit.
2. Tried quality; temper; proof.
3. Essay; trial; attempt.

Etymology 4

Noun

say (plural says)

1. (Scotland) A strainer for milk.

Anagrams

• AYs, ays, yas

Azerbaijani

Etymology 1

Deverbal from saymaq.

Noun

say (definite accusative sayı, plural saylar)

1. number, quantity, count

   Synonyms: ədəd, rəqəm

2. (grammar) numeral
3. (colloquial) value, importance
4. issue (of a newspaper or periodical)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Turkic *say.

Noun

say (definite accusative sayı, plural saylar)

1. shallow, shoal

   gəmi saya oturdu ― the ship ran aground

Declension

Crimean Tatar

Noun

say

1. shallow place, island

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[3], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Middle English

Noun

say

1. Alternative form of assay

Portuguese

Verb

say

1. Obsolete spelling of sai.

Tatar

Noun

say

1. area covered with stones

Turkish

Verb

say

1. second-person singular imperative of saymak

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *p-riː (“drunk”); cognate with Muong khay, Arem pərɪː.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [saj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂaj˧˧] ~ [saj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂa(ː)j˧˧] ~ [sa(ː)j˧˧]

Adjective

say • (𫑹)

1. drunk; intoxicated; inebriated

   Synonym: xỉn

2. suffering motion sickness

   say tàu/xe/sóng ― trainsick/carsick/seasick

3. (literary) engrossed, especially in love

   say tình ― madly in love; enamored

Derived terms

Adverb

say • (𫑹)

1. deep ; fast (of sleep)

   ngủ say ― fast asleep