neigh

English

Audio recording of a neighing horse

Etymology

From Middle English neyen, from Old English hnǣġan, from Proto-West Germanic *hnaijan, from Proto-Germanic *hnajjaną (“to neigh”). Cognate with dialectal Dutch neien, Middle Low German neigen, Swedish gnägga, Icelandic hneggja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈneɪ̯/, [ˈneɪ̯]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Hyphenation: neigh
• Homophones: nay, nee, Neagh (pane–pain merger)

Noun

neigh (plural neighs)

1. The cry of a horse.

   Synonym: neighing

   Hyponyms: nicker, whinny

Translations

the cry of a horse

• Arabic: صَهِيل m (ṣahīl)
• Azerbaijani: kişnərti
• Bashkir: кешнәү (keşnəw)
• Bulgarian: цвилене n (cvilene)
• Catalan: renill (ca) m, eguí (ca) m, aïnada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嘶 (zh) (sī)

• Czech: ržání n, řehtání n, zařehtání n
• Danish: vrinsk n
• Dutch: hinnik (nl)
• Esperanto: heno
• Estonian: hirnumine
• Finnish: hirnahdus (fi), hirnunta (fi)
• French: hennissement (fr) m
• Galician: rincho (gl) m
• Georgian: ჭიხვინი (č̣ixvini)
• German: Wiehern n
• Greek: χλιμιντρίζω (el) (chlimintrízo)

  Ancient Greek: χρεμετίζω (khremetízō)

• Hawaiian: ihihī
• Hebrew: צְנִיפָה f (tsnifá), צׇהֳלָה (he) f (tsoholá)
• Icelandic: hnegg n
• Ido: bramo (io)
• Ilocano: aring-ing
• Irish: seitreach f
• Italian: nitrito (it) m
• Japanese: いななき (inanaki)
• Latin: hinnītus m
• Latvian: zviedziens m
• Malay: ringkik
• Māori: ngehengehe
• Marquesan:

  North Marquesan: tani

• Norwegian: knegg (no), vrinsk (no)
• Persian: شیهه (fa) (šeyhe)
• Polish: rżenie (pl)
• Portuguese: relincho (pt) m
• Romanian: nechezat (ro) n
• Russian: ржа́ние (ru) n (ržánije)
• Scottish Gaelic: sitrich
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: њиштање n, њиска f

  Latin: njištanje n, njiska (sh) f

• Slovak: erdžať
• Spanish: relincho (es), relinchido m
• Swedish: gnägg (sv)
• Tagalog: halinghing
• Tahitian: ʻūʻā, taʻi
• Tamil: கனைப்பு (ta) (kaṉaippu)
• Telugu: సకిలింత (sakilinta)
• Tuamotuan: tangi
• Turkish: kişneme (tr), kişneyiş (tr)
• Urdu: ہِنْہِنَاہَٹ f (hinhināhaṭ)
• Vietnamese: hí (vi)

Verb

neigh (third-person singular simple present neighs, present participle neighing, simple past and past participle neighed)

1. (of a horse) To make its cry.

   Hyponyms: nicker, whinny

   • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Democritus Iunior to the Reader”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, page 41:

     For hovv […] ſhall I knovv thee to be a man, vvhen thou kickeſt like an aſſe, neygheſt like an Horſe after vvomen, raueſt in luſt like a Bull, raueneſt like a Beare, ſtingeſt like a Scorpion, rakeſt like a VVolfe, as ſuttle as a Foxe, as impudent as a Dogge; ſhall I ſay thou art man that haſt all the Symptomes of a beaſt?

   • 1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], translated by H. L. Brækstad, Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, →OCLC, page 33:

     "I went into the stable first to see to the horse, and found him neighing and waiting for his hay, so I went up into the hay-loft for an armful[.]"

2. To make a sound similar to a horse's cry.
3. (obsolete) To scoff or sneer.
   • c. 1614, John Fletcher, “Wit Without Money, a Comedy”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:

     Yes, yes, 'tis he. I will assure you Uncle, the very he, the he your Wisdom plaid withal, I thank you for't, neighed at his Nakedness, and made his Cold and Poverty your Pastime; […]

Derived terms

• neigher

Translations

(of a horse) to make its cry

• Arabic: صَهَلَ (ṣahala)
• Armenian: խրխնջալ (hy) (xrxnǰal)
• Azerbaijani: kişnəmək (az)
• Belarusian: іржа́ць (iržácʹ)
• Bulgarian: цвиля (bg) (cvilja)
• Catalan: renillar (ca), eguinar (ca), aïnar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嘶 (zh) (sī)

• Chuvash: ӑлах (ălah)
• Czech: ržát impf, zaržát pf, řehtat impf, zařehtat pf
• Danish: vrinske, gnægge (archaic)
• Dutch: hinniken (nl)
• Esperanto: heni
• Estonian: hirnuma
• Finnish: hirnua (fi)
• French: hennir (fr)
• Galician: rinchar (gl)
• Georgian: ჭიხვინებს (č̣ixvinebs)
• German: wiehern (de)

  Alemannic German: hürschele

• Greek: χλιμιντρίζω (el) (chlimintrízo)

  Ancient Greek: χρεμετίζω (khremetízō)

• Hawaiian: ihihī
• Hebrew: צָנַף (he) (tsanaf), צָהַל (he) (tzahál)
• Hindi: हींसना (hī̃snā)
• Hungarian: nyerít (hu)
• Icelandic: hneggja
• Ido: bramar (io)
• Irish: déan seitreach, bí ag seitreach
• Italian: nitrire (it)
• Latin: hinniō
• Latvian: zviegt (lv)
• Lithuanian: žvengti
• Malay: meringkik
• Māori: ngehengehe
• Marquesan:

  North Marquesan: tani

• Middle English: neyen
• Norman: hîngni
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: knegge, vrinske (no), humre (no)

• Old Church Slavonic: ръзати impf (rŭzati)
• Old English: hnǣġan
• Persian: شیهه کشیدن (fa) (šeyhe kešidan), شهیدن (šehidan)
• Polish: rżeć (pl)
• Portuguese: relinchar (pt)
• Romanian: necheza (ro), râncheza (ro)
• Russian: ржать (ru) impf (ržatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sitrich
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: њиштати

  Latin: njištati (sh)

• Slovak: erdžať
• Spanish: relinchar (es)
• Swedish: gnägga (sv)
• Tagalog: humalinghing
• Tahitian: ʻūʻā, taʻi
• Tamil: கனை (ta) (kaṉai)
• Telugu: సకిలించు (te) (sakiliñcu)
• Tuamotuan: aue, tangi
• Turkish: kişnemek (tr)
• Ukrainian: іржа́ти (iržáty)
• Urdu: ہینسنا (hī̃snā), ہنہنانا (hinhinānā)
• Uyghur: كىشنەمەك (kishnemek)
• Vietnamese: hí (vi)

to make a sound similar to a horses' cry

• Estonian: hirnuma
• Finnish: hirnua (fi)
• French: hennir (fr)
• Hawaiian: hōihihī
• Icelandic: hneggja
• Ido: bramar (io)
• Italian: nitrire (it)
• Latvian: zviegt (lv)
• Malay: meringkik
• Middle English: neyen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: humre (no), knegge, vrinske (no)

• Polish: rżeć (pl)
• Romanian: necheza (ro)
• Russian: ржать (ru) impf (ržatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: њиштати

  Latin: njištati (sh)

• Spanish: relinchar (es)
• Swedish: gnägga (sv)
• Tagalog: humalinghing
• Turkish: kişnemek (tr)
• Ukrainian: іржа́ти impf (iržáty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Anagrams

• Hinge, ehing, hinge