Sy

¹

[sahy]

noun

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

sy-

²

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

-sy

³

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.

SY

¹

abbreviation

1. Seychelles (international car registration)

sy

²

abbreviation

1. Syrian Arab Republic

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sy¹

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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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"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.

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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.”

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