heah

English

Adverb

heah (not comparable)

1. (US, historical, colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of here, representing African-American Vernacular English.
   • 1937, Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Virago Press (2018), page 46:

     ‘Yeah, uh store right heah in town wid everything in it you needs.’

Adjective

heah (not comparable)

1. (US, historical, colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of here, representing African-American Vernacular English.

See also

• theah
• wheah

Old English

Alternative forms

• hēh
• hēa — adverb

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *hauh, from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz.

Cognate with Old Frisian hāh, Old Saxon hōh, Old High German hōh, Old Dutch hōh, Old Norse hár, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃 (hauhs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xæ͜ɑːx/, [hæ͜ɑːx]

Adjective

hēah (comparative hīerra, superlative hīehst)

1. high, tall
   • Caedmon's metrical paraphrase

     ...seoððan þū þonne hafast handum āmetene hū hēh and dēop hell inneweard sēo, grim græfhūs, gong ricene tō...

     ...then, after thou hast with thy hands measured how high and deep hell is within, the grim grave-house, go forthwith to...

2. exalted, important
3. proud
4. deep
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     wlonc bī wealle. · Sume wīġ fornōm,
     ferede in forðweġe; · sumne fugel ōþbær
     ofer hēanne holm; · sumne sē hāra wulf
     dēaðe ġedǣlde, · sumne drēoriġhlēor
     in eorðsċræfe · eorl ġehȳdde.

     proud by the wall. The war took away some men,
     carried into the forth-way; a bird bore away someone
     over deep sea; the grey wolf shared someone with death;
     a sad-faced warrior hid someone in earthen cave.

5. right (as opposed to left)
6. (in compounds) main, principal, arch-

   hēahfæder ― patriarch

   hēahenġel ― arch-angel

   hēahcleofa ― main chamber

7. (in compounds) denotes intensification, completion or perfection

   hēahfæst ― permanent, immutable

Usage notes

Names formed with the element hēah, such as Reġenhēah, are always masculine.

Declension

Declension of hēah — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēah	hēah	hēah
Accusative	hēane, hēanne	hēa	hēah
Genitive	hēas	hēare, hēarre	hēas
Dative	hēam, hēaum	hēare, hēarre	hēam, hēaum
Instrumental	hēa	hēare, hēarre	hēa
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēa	hēa	hēah
Accusative	hēa	hēa	hēah
Genitive	hēara, hēarra	hēara, hēarra	hēara, hēarra
Dative	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum
Instrumental	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum

Declension of hēah — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēa	hēa	hēa
Accusative	hēan	hēan	hēa
Genitive	hēan	hēan	hēan
Dative	hēan	hēan	hēan
Instrumental	hēan	hēan	hēan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	hēan	hēan	hēan
Accusative	hēan	hēan	hēan
Genitive	hēara, hēarra, hēana	hēara, hēarra, hēana	hēara, hēarra, hēana
Dative	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum
Instrumental	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum	hēam, hēaum

Antonyms

• dēop (“deep”)
• niþerlīċ (“low”)

Derived terms

• hēalīċe
• hēahstede
• hēahweġ

Descendants

• Middle English: heigh
  • English: high
    • Sranan Tongo: hei
    • → German: high
  • Scots: heich
  • Yola: heigh, heighe, heegh, hia, hie
• Scots: he-, hey-