Say

//seɪ// adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    For example; let us assume. not-comparable

    "Pick a color you think they'd like, say, peach."

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

    "Say, what did you think about the movie?"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    A chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision. countable

    "To have a say"

  2. 2
    A type of fine cloth similar to serge. countable, uncountable

    "Per.[igot] VVell decked in a frocke of gray, / Will.[y] hey ho, gray is greet, / Per. And in a kirtle of greene ſaye, / Will. the greene is for maydens meete."

  3. 3
    Trial by sample; assay; specimen.

    "If those principal works of God […] be but certain tastes and says, as if were, of that final benefit."

  4. 4
    A strainer for milk. Scotland
  5. 5
    the chance to speak wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Tried quality; temper; proof.

    "He found a sword of better say."

  2. 7
    Essay; trial; attempt.

    "This fellow, Captaine, Will come, in time, to be a great distiller, And giue a say[…]at the philosophers stone."

Verb
  1. 1
    To pronounce. transitive

    "Please say your name slowly and clearly."

  2. 2
    To try; to assay.

    "I, that had sayed on one of his customers sutes."

  3. 3
    give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority wordnet
  4. 4
    To recite. transitive

    "Martha, will you say the Pledge of Allegiance?"

  5. 5
    express a supposition wordnet
Show 15 more definitions
  1. 6
    To tell, either verbally or in writing. transitive

    "He said he would be here tomorrow."

  2. 7
    indicate wordnet
  3. 8
    To indicate in a written form. transitive

    "The sign says it’s 50 kilometres to Paris."

  4. 9
    communicate or express nonverbally wordnet
  5. 10
    To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact. impersonal, transitive

    "They say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", which means "behave as those around you do.""

  6. 11
    recite or repeat a fixed text wordnet
  7. 12
    Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis. imperative, informal, transitive

    "A holiday somewhere warm – Florida, say – would be nice."

  8. 13
    speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way wordnet
  9. 14
    To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply. intransitive

    "You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge"

  10. 15
    utter aloud wordnet
  11. 16
    To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker. especially, informal, transitive

    "'My fifty pounds says three months after the invasion there'll be a free press in Iraq, and unmonitored internet access too.'"

  12. 17
    express in words wordnet
  13. 18
    state as one's opinion or judgement; declare wordnet
  14. 19
    report or maintain wordnet
  15. 20
    have or contain a certain wording or form wordnet

Etymology

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 say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Swedish säga (“to say”). The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Etymology 2

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 say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Swedish säga (“to say”). The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Etymology 3

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 say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Swedish säga (“to say”). The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Etymology 4

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 say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Swedish säga (“to say”). The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Etymology 5

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

Etymology 6

Aphetic form of assay.

Etymology 7

Aphetic form of assay.

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