yeye

See also: yéye, yéyé, yé-yé, yěyé, yèyè, and yeyə

Luba-Kasai

Pronoun

yeye

1. him

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

Possibly from Yoruba yẹ̀yẹ́.

Adjective

yeye

1. useless, senseless, trivial, bad
   • (Can we date this quote?), Anthonia Ujene, “Khalai yan with plant”, in Storybooks African Languages‎^[1]:

     Khalai dey yan to flower wen surround her school. “Abeg oo flower, make grow strong oo so yeye person no go fit enter our school.”

     Khalai talks to the flower around her school. “Please flower, grow strong so bad people won't come into our school.”

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Probably from Fon yɛ̀ (“shadow, spirit”).

Noun

yeye

1. spirit, ghost

Derived terms

• Santa Yeye

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Pronoun

yeye

1. he/she/it/they (singular) (third-person singular pronoun)

See also

Swahili personal pronouns (m-wa class_(I/II))

	person	independent	subject concord		object concord	combined forms			possessive
			affirmative	negative		na	ndi-	si-
singular	first	mimi	ni-	si-	-ni-	nami, na mimi	ndimi, ndiye	simi, siye	-angu
	second	wewe	u-	hu-	-ku-	nawe, na wewe	ndiwe, ndiye	siwe, siye	-ako
	third	yeye	a-, yu-	ha-, hayu-	-m-, -mw-, -mu-	naye, na yeye	ndiye	siye	-ake
plural	first	sisi	tu-	hatu-	-tu-	nasi, na sisi	ndisi, ndio	sio	-etu
	second	ninyi	m-, mw-, mu-	ham-, hamw-, hamu-	-wa-	nanyi, na ninyi	ndinyi, ndio	sinyi, sio	-enu
	third	wao	wa-	hawa-	-wa-	nao	ndio	sio	-ao
reflexive		—	—		-ji-	—			—
For a full table including other classes, see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns.

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• èyé (Èkìtì)

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jè.jé/

Noun

yèyé

1. mother, a title of respect for an older woman or a priestess of the orisha

   Synonyms: ìyá, màmá, mọ́mì, abiyamọ, iye, màámi, ìmọ́ọ̀

Derived terms

• yèyé omi (“A general name for female river orisha, A priestess of any one of the river orisha”)
• yèyé Onírá (“A nickname for the orisha Oya”)
• yèyé Ọ̀ṣun (“A priestess of Osun, a nickname for Osun”)
• yèyélúwa (“Queen”)

Etymology 2

Likely from a partial reduplication of *ye (“to be many”). Compare with Olukumi yéye, Itsekiri toye, Igala wéwe, proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruba *yéye, from Proto-Edekiri *yéye, ultimately from Proto-Yoruboid *wéwe. Also see Ayere yè. iye (“amount, value”) may come from that same *ye root.

Alternative forms

• yíye (Èkìtì)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jé.jē/

Noun

yéye

1. (Èkìtì, SEY, and Ìyàgbà) large quantity; numerous ones

Adverb

yéye

1. very much

Determiner

yéye

1. much

Synonyms

Yoruba Varieties and Languages - púpọ̀ (“very much, plenty”)
view map; edit data
Language Family	Variety Group	Variety/Language	Subdialect	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Eastern Àkókó	Ọ̀bà	Ọ̀bà Àkókó	yéye
		Ìdànrè (Ùdànè, Ùdànrè)		Ìdànrè (Ùdànè, Ùdànrè)	yéye
		Ìjẹ̀bú	Ìjẹ̀bú	Ìjẹ̀bú Òde	yéye
			Rẹ́mọ	Ẹ̀pẹ́	yéye
				Ìkòròdú	yéye
				Ṣágámù	yéye
		Ifọ́n		Ifọ́n	yéye
		Ìkálẹ̀ (Ùkálẹ̀)		Òkìtìpupa	yéye
		Ìlàjẹ (Ùlàjẹ)		Mahin	yéye
		Oǹdó		Oǹdó	yéye
		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)	yéye
		Usẹn		Usẹn	yéye
	Ìtsẹkírì			Ìwẹrẹ	yéye
	Olùkùmi			Ugbódù	yéye
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	yéye, yíye
				Òdè Èkìtì	yéye, yíye
				Òmùò Èkìtì	yéye, yíye
				Awó Èkìtì	yéye, yíye
				Ìfàkì Èkìtì	yéye
			Àkúrẹ́	Àkúrẹ́	yéye, yíye
	Northwest Yoruba	Àwórì		Èbúté Mẹ́tà	púpọ̀
				Ìgbẹsà	púpọ̀
				Ọ̀tà	púpọ̀
				Agége	púpọ̀
				Ìlogbò Erémi	púpọ̀
		Ẹ̀gbá		Abẹ́òkúta	púpọ̀
		Ẹ̀gbádò		Ayétòrò	púpọ̀
				Igbógila	púpọ̀
				Ìjàká	púpọ̀
				Ìlaròó	púpọ̀
				Ìṣàwọ́njọ	púpọ̀
		Èkó		Èkó	púpọ̀
		Ìbàdàn		Ìbàdàn	púpọ̀
		Ìbàràpá		Igbó Òrà	púpọ̀
		Ìbọ̀lọ́		Òṣogbo (Òsogbo)	púpọ̀
				Ọ̀fà	púpọ̀
		Ìlọrin		Ìlọrin	púpọ̀
		Oǹkó		Òtù	púpọ̀
				Ìwéré Ilé	púpọ̀
				Òkèhò	púpọ̀
				Ìsẹ́yìn	púpọ̀
				Ṣakí	púpọ̀
				Tedé	púpọ̀
				Ìgbẹ́tì	púpọ̀
		Ọ̀yọ́		Ọ̀yọ́	púpọ̀
				Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ (Ògbómọ̀sọ́)	púpọ̀
				Ìkirè	púpọ̀
				Ìwó	púpọ̀
		Standard Yorùbá		Nàìjíríà	púpọ̀
				Bɛ̀nɛ̀	kpúkpɔ̀
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Ìyàgbà		Ìsánlú Ìtẹ̀dó	yéye
	Ede Languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ana		Sokode	kpíkpɔ̀
		Cábɛ̀ɛ́		Cábɛ̀ɛ́ (Ìdàdú)	kpíkpɔ̀
				Tchaourou	kpíkpɔ̀
		Ǹcà (Ìcà, Ìncà)		Baàtɛ	kpúkpɔ̀
		Ìdàácà	Benin	Igbó Ìdàácà (Dasa Zunmɛ̀)	kpíkpɔ̀
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí/Ìjè	Ìkpòbɛ́	kpúkpɔ̀
				Ọ̀húnbẹ́	púpọ̀
				Onigbolo	kpúkpɔ̀
			Kétu/Ànàgó	Ìlárá	pípọ̀
				Ìmẹ̀kọ	pípọ̀
				Kétu	kpíkpɔ̀
		Ifɛ̀		Akpáré	kpíkpɔ̀
				Atakpamɛ	kpíkpɔ̀
				Boko	kpíkpɔ̀
				Est-Mono	kpíkpɔ̀
				Moretan	kpíkpɔ̀
				Tchetti (Tsɛti, Cɛti)	kpíkpɔ̀
		Kura		Awotébi	kpɔ́
				Partago	ɔ́kpɔ̀
		Mɔ̄kɔ́lé		Kandi	bútútú, ńkpɔ̀ ńkpɔ̀
		Northern Nago		Kambole	ɔkpɔ
				Manigri	kikpo
		Southern Nago		Ìsakété	kpúkpɔ̀
				Ìfànyìn	kpúkpɔ̀
Note: This amalgamation of terms comes from a number of different academic papers focused on the unique varieties and languages spoken in the Yoruboid dialectal continuum which extends from eastern Togo to southern Nigeria. The terms for spoken varieties, now deemed dialects of Yorùbá in Nigeria (i.e. Southeast Yorùbá, Northwest Yorùbá, Central Yorùbá, and Northeast Yorùbá), have converged with those of Standard Yorùbá leading to the creation of what can be labeled Common Yorùbá (Funṣọ Akere, 1977). It can be assumed that the Standard Yorùbá term can also be used in most Nigerian varieties alongside native terms, especially amongst younger speakers. This does not apply to the other Nigerian Yoruboid languages of Ìṣẹkírì and Olùkùmi, nor the Èdè Languages of Benin and Togo.