yea

Meaning

Adv

1. (dated, not-comparable) Yes, indeed.
2. (dated, not-comparable) Thus, so (now often accompanied by a hand gesture by way of measurement).

Conj

Or even, or more like, nay. Introduces a stronger and more appropriate expression than the preceding one.

Intj

Yeah, right, yes.

Noun

An affirmative vote, usually but not always spoken

Intj

Alternative spelling of yeah.

Intj

Misspelling of yay.

Opposite of

nay

Synonyms

yes

yeah

aye

yep

certainly

how

indeed

in fact

it is

okay

really

sure

surely

truly

uh huh

it’s true

absolutely

verily indeed

affirmative

approve

decidedly

definitively

Translations

oui

ja

sí

quin etiam

si

ja

si

belê

wahrhaftig

klar

μάλιστα

ja doch

fürwahr

Ja-Stimme

Pronounced as (IPA)

/jeɪ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: ye

Inherited from Old English: ġēa

In summary

From Middle English ye, ȝea, ya, ȝa, from Old English ġēa, iā (“yea, yes”), from Proto-West Germanic *jā.
The modern pronunciation shows an irregular development of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language, probably from association with the antonym nay.