dey
Americannoun
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deys
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
This is why Lagosians sometimes quip, “Èkó no dey carry last”: “Lagos never ranks last in anything.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
"Who dey" got its own day on Monday.
From Fox News ● Feb. 7, 2022
Coincidentally, that may be one of the few places to hear it in the city, as legions of fans chant “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” on football Sundays.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 6, 2020
“Tryin get dem roach eggs, tee-he, tee-he he he, gotta get the bleach on da roach eggs! Den dey won’t come back!”
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2014
Some peoples cain’ nuss dey baby, and some ain’ got nary baby to nuss.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
“Dat’s jealousy and malice. Some uh dem very mens wants tuh do whut dey claim deys skeered Tea Cake is doin’.”
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
Some go ter meetin’ to sing an’ shout, Dry bones goin’ ter rise again; Fore six month deys all turned out, Dry bones goin’ ter rise again.
From Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes by Howard W. Odum
Iffen deys a marriage de preacher has a book.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Texas Narratives, Part 1 by Work Projects Administration
Well, den," she resumed, "Quail start inter de meanness he bin hatchin' up, an' he say, sezee, 'Uncle Wolf, deys a man down dar below whar gittin' ter be dangersome.
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) by Marshall Pinckney Wilder
De quarters am built from logs like deys all in dem days.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Texas Narratives, Part 1 by Work Projects Administration
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.
