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))

Number	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

   Synonym: púpọ̀

Adverb

yéye

1. very much

   Synonym: púpọ̀

Determiner

yéye

1. much

   Synonym: púpọ̀