ye

¹ American  

[yee] / ji /

pronoun

1. Archaic, except in some elevated or ecclesiastical prose Literary, or British Dialect.

   1. (used nominatively as the plural of thou especially in rhetorical, didactic, or poetic contexts, in addressing a group of persons or things).

      O ye of little faith; ye brooks and hills.

   2. (used nominatively for the second person singular, especially in polite address).

      Do ye not know me?

   3. (used objectively in the second person singular or plural).

      I have something to tell ye. Arise, the enemy is upon ye!

2. (used with mock seriousness in an invocation, mild oath, or the like).

   Ye gods and little fishes!

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ye ² American  

[thee, yee] / ði, ji /

definite article

Archaic.

1. the.

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ye ¹ British  

/ jɪ, jiː /

pronoun

1. archaic refers to more than one person including the person addressed but not including the speaker

2. Also: ee.  dialect refers to one person addressed

   I tell ye

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ye ² British  

/ jiː, ðiː /

determiner

1. a form of the, used in conjunction with other putative archaic spellings

   ye olde oake

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ye ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Yemen

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Spelling

The word ye2 , as in Ye Olde Booke Shoppe, is simply an archaic spelling of the definite article the. The use of the letter Y was a printer's adaptation of the thorn, þ, the character in the Old English alphabet representing the th- sounds (th) and (th̸) in Modern English; Y was the closest symbol in the Roman alphabet. Originally, the form would have been rendered as  or ye. The pronunciation today is a spelling pronunciation.

Etymology

Origin of ye

before 900; Middle English; Old English gē; cognate with Dutch gij, German ihr, Old Norse ēr, Gothic jus

Example Sentences

Jennifer An, a former contestant on America's Next Top Model, is suing the rapper, now known as Ye, over an encounter she alleges took place in 2010.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

A representative for Ye at the time denied the rapper was a suspect in the battery case and claimed in an email that “police aren’t even investigating.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Arguably one of the most influential artists and producers of his generation, Kanye West - now known as Ye - set a new bar for hip-hop production in the 2000s and 2010s.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Several major sponsors backing the event had already pulled out following the announcement last week that West, who now goes by Ye, would headline the event.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

My brother and Kelly met at a restaurant called Ye Olde College Inn or something like that at Penn State.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky