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ayah

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology 1

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From various Indian languages (e.g. Hindi आया (āyā, “dry nurse, nanny”)), from Portuguese aia (“nurse, governess”), from Latin avia (“grandmother”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈaɪ.ə/, /ˈɑːjə/

Noun

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ayah (plural ayahs)

  1. A South Asian female servant, maid or nanny, historically, often one working for Europeans in South Asia.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Watches of the Night”, in Plain Tales from the Hills (fiction):
      She manufactured the Station scandal, and talked to her ayah.
    • 1989, Shashi Tharoor, The Great Indian Novel‎[3], New York: Arcade Publishing, published 2011, Book 4:
      […] a cot of iron had to be manufactured for [Bhim] after he had demolished two wooden cribs with a lusty kick of his foot; and a succession of bruised ayahs had finally to be replaced by a male attendant, a former Hastinapur all-in wrestling champion.
Translations
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See also
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Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Arabic آيَة (ʔāya, “sign, token”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈaɪ.(j)ɑː/, /ˈaɪ.ə/

Noun

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ayah (plural ayahs or ayat)

  1. (Islam) A verse in the Quran.
    Synonym: ayat
Alternative forms
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Translations
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Indonesian

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Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Malay ayah (“father”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aya₂ (“father’s sister, father’s sister’s husband”), from Proto-Austronesian *aya₂.[1][2]

Noun

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ayah (plural ayah-ayah or para ayah)

  1. (formal) father (male parent)
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:ayah

Derived terms

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Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

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Etymology 2

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Inherited from Malay ayah (“ayah”), from Hindi आया (āyā), from Portuguese aia, from Latin avia (“grandmother”).

Noun

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ayah (plural ayah-ayah or para ayah)

  1. (rare) ayah (a South Asian maid or nanny)

References

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  1. ^ Robert Blust; David F. Aberle; N. J. Allen; R. H. Barnes; Ann Chowning (1 April 1980), “Early Austronesian Social Organization: The Evidence of Language [and Comments and Reply]”, in Current Anthropology‎[1], volume 21, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 205–247
  2. ^ Robert Blust (1993), “Austronesian sibling terms and culture history”, in Bijdragen tot de taal-, land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia‎[2], volume 149, number 1, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 22–76

Further reading

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Malay

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Malay Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ms

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aya (“father’s sister, father’s sister’s husband”), from Proto-Austronesian *aya.[1]

Noun

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ayah (Jawi spelling ايه, plural ayah-ayah or ayah2)

  1. (formal, polite) A father (male parent).
    Synonyms: abah, bapa, rama
    ayah Daniel ― Daniel's father
Derived terms
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Affixations
Compounds
Descendants
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  • > Indonesian: ayah (inherited)
  • > Peranakan Indonesian: ajah (inherited)

Etymology 2

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Borrowed from Hindi आया (āyā), from Portuguese aia.

Noun

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ayah (Jawi spelling ايه, plural ayah-ayah or ayah2)

  1. (dated) A nursemaid, usually one of Indian ancestry.
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*aya₂”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Further reading

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Postposition

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ayah

  1. third-person indefinite of biyah
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