dey
Americannoun
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the title of the governor of Algiers before the French conquest in 1830.
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a title sometimes used by the former rulers of Tunis and Tripoli.
noun
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the title given to commanders or (from 1710) governors of the Janissaries of Algiers (1671–1830)
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a title applied by Western writers to various other Ottoman governors, such as the bey of Tunis
Etymology
Origin of dey
1650–60; < French < Turkish dayι originally, maternal uncle
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.
"Who dey" got its own day on Monday.
From Fox News • Feb. 7, 2022
“Carry me dey go-o,” one of the women, Jessy Nubani, sang, bobbing up and down as she worked, adapting a popular call-and-response song.
From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2021
“Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” the fans chanted.
From Washington Times • Nov. 5, 2019
“Dat just how dey do,” was the refrain I heard, in patois laced with resignation.
From Salon • Aug. 30, 2018
You go udder side river, den dey not find you.”
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
