ayah
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ayah
First recorded in 1775–85; from Hindi āyā, from Portuguese aia “maidservant,” from Latin avia “grandmother,” equivalent to av(us) “grandfather” + -ia feminine suffix
Vocabulary lists containing ayah
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Neither he nor his public defender, Ayah Sarsour, would comment after, but in the hallways, he could be heard talking to his family about how nervous he was in court.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025
Ayah Zaki, a civil rights attorney for Cair in New Jersey, said that Palestinian mothers have recently been coming to her for advice on how to speak with their children about the issue.
From BBC • Dec. 16, 2023
Ayah, a Palestinian living in Sydney, said she was at the rally to "be peaceful, to support my country, nothing to do with burning flags".
From Reuters • Oct. 15, 2023
Team captain Ayah Rahman, fighting back tears, promised they will contend again during the outdoor season, which begins in a matter of weeks.
From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022
It was all done so briskly and efficiently that it left Ayah and the children quite breathless, accustomed as they were to the leisurely methods of the East.
From Jan and Her Job by Harker, L. Allen (Lizzie Allen)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
