Sy

¹ American  

[sahy] / saɪ /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Seymour, Simon, or Silas.

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sy- ² American  

1. variant of syn- before s followed by a consonant and before z: systaltic; syzygy.

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-sy ³ American  

1. a suffix forming nouns or adjectives, sometimes a diminutive of the base word and usually confined to informal and jocular use (bitsy; footsie; halvsies ); adjectives formed with -sy may be ironic, implying that the quality in question is self-consciously assumed or feigned (artsy; cutesy; folksy ). The combination of -s and -y or -y in certain words (antsy; gutsy ) should perhaps be considered further instances of this suffix.

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SY ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Seychelles (international car registration)

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sy ² British  

abbreviation

1. Syrian Arab Republic

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Etymology

Origin of -sy

Perhaps originally two distinct suffixes, one diminutive (as in Betsy, popsy, tootsy ) and the other adjectival; sources of both are uncertain

Example Sentences

Steve Eisman was one; the other was Sy Jacobs.

From Literature

“From the first time I approached Sy in 2005, I knew he’d be a great person to film, both for his personal story and as a way to talk about bigger issues,” Poitras, 61, says via video call from New York.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s about him, but it’s also about the country. I make counternarratives. Sy does counternarratives. We have some things in common. I make films about people who are in a historical moment trying to make change — Sy, Nan Goldin, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden — people who don’t accept the status quo.”

From Los Angeles Times

"The trust the ECI once commanded almost unquestioningly is now under greater public scrutiny," former chief election commissioner SY Quraishi wrote in the Indian Express newspaper.

From BBC

I remember being moved by the close bond author Sy Montgomery forms with one of these cephalopods in “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration in the Wonder of Consciousness.”

From Salon