Dictionary.com
definitions

oy

1

or oi

[oi]
interjection
  1. (used to express dismay, pain, annoyance, grief, etc.)

Origin of oy

1
Borrowed into English from Yiddish around 1890–95

oy

2

or oe

[oi]
noun Scot.
  1. a grandchild.
  2. Obsolete. a nephew or niece.

Origin of oy

2
1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots) o(o), oy(e) < Scots Gaelic ogha; see O'
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for oy

Contemporary Examples of oy

Historical Examples of oy

  • Now, by the 12 e. as ea is to ai: so is so to oy: and therefore, by the grant, so is uo to oy.

  • Therefore seeing that uo, and os, are proportionall to oy, they are both equall.

  • The sound of oi or oy is dipthongal, composed of the third or broad a, and ee.

  • And then she says, 'You're Doyvy, oyn't you, that had the ax-nent?'

    When Ghost Meets Ghost

    William Frend De Morgan

  • Then oy shall go and play with The Boys, because the forg's a-stoarping.

    When Ghost Meets Ghost

    William Frend De Morgan

Word Origin and History for oy

Yiddish exclamation of dismay, 1892, American English. Extended form oy vey (1959) includes Yiddish vey, from German Weh "woe" (see woe).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper