dey

[ dey ]

/ deɪ /

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noun

the title of the governor of Algiers before the French conquest in 1830.

a title sometimes used by the former rulers of Tunis and Tripoli.

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Origin of dey

1650–60; <French <Turkish dayι originally, maternal uncle

Words nearby dey

dextrorotatory, dextrorse, dextrose, dextrosinistral, dextrous, dey, Dezhnev, dezincification, D/F, D.F.A., DFAB

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dey in a sentence

Perhaps he holds up a manila folder and declares “I is all done wit me quahtahly repahts boss, and dey is IRIE!”
Volkswagen’s Super Bowl Ad an Unfunny Slight to Culture|Pia Glenn|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yis, all alone, sept de two tousand Caffres ob de kraal; but dey is nobody—only black beasts.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
She's done got a pow'ful quick tempah, my Miss Betty has, same's all my Somerset family had, bein' fust quality folks lak dey was.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Dey's squar little towels what you holds in yer lap to wipe yer fingers on when you've done eatin'.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

She couldn't larn, an' de Lord took her whar dey don't ask what you knows,—only dis: does you lub de Lord?
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
But dey can't hang me, no sah, dey can't, 'cause mah man croak two weeks later.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for dey

dey

/ (deɪ) /

noun

the title given to commanders or (from 1710) governors of the Janissaries of Algiers (1671–1830)

a title applied by Western writers to various other Ottoman governors, such as the bey of Tunis

Word Origin for dey

C17: from French, from Turkish dayi, literally: maternal uncle, hence title given to an older person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012