neigh

American  

[ney] / neɪ /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter the cry of a horse; whinny.

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noun

1. the cry of a horse; whinny.

neigh British  

/ neɪ /

noun

1. the high-pitched cry of a horse; whinny

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verb

1. (intr) to make a neigh or a similar noise

2. (tr) to utter with a sound like a neigh

Etymology

Origin of neigh

before 1000; Middle English ney ( gh ) en, Old English hnǣgan, cognate with Middle Dutch neyen, Old Saxon hnēgian, Middle High German nēgen, Old High German hneigen, Old Norse hneggja; akin to Old Saxon hnechian; Middle Dutch nighen, Middle Low German nigen, Middle High German nyhen; and, with intrusion in the initial, Old Norse gneggja, Norwegian kneggja. See nag ²

Explanation

The sound that a horse makes is called a neigh. A horse's happy neigh is sometimes a greeting to other horses. You can use neigh to talk about the noise your horse makes, also known as a whinny or a bray. Neigh is also a verb: horses neigh cheerfully or in frustration, and your little brother might like to ride a broomstick wildly around the house and neigh. The word comes from the Old English hnægan, which is most likely imitative of the actual sound of a neigh. In other words, it's an example of onomatopoeia — when a word sounds like what it means.

Example Sentences

Even on the backside, it seemed like any other race day: Workers tended to horses who let out the occasional neigh.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2023

“A Naqqal edits his own scripts, directs the performance himself, and creates various characters. He does not hesitate to imitate the lion’s roar, the horse’s neigh, and the roar of the dragon.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2023

The nearly life-size stallion became a national — neigh, international — sensation this year when David Marriott pieced him together while in hotel quarantine.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2021

While Day’s half-time comments on the surface have very little to do with coronavirus, they epitomize the risks that unpaid college athletes are expected to, neigh compelled to, accept as part of day-to-day life.

From The Guardian • Jan. 11, 2021

Bill the pony gave a wild neigh of fear, and turned tail and dashed away along the lakeside into the darkness.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien