Inherited fromMiddle Englishheigh,hey,hay,hei,heh, probably ofimitative origin. Comparehey,eh.
heigh
- Anexclamation designed to callattention, giveencouragement, etc.
1610–1611 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene i]:Heigh, my hearts! Cheerly, cheerly, my hearts.
FromOld Englishhēah,hēh, fromProto-West Germanic*hauh(“high”), fromProto-Germanic*hauhaz(“high”).
- IPA(key): (early)/heːx/ [heːç],/hejx/ [heiç],(later)/hiːx/ [hiːç]
heigh (plural and weak singularheye,comparativeheigherorherre,superlativeheighestorhext)
- high
- heighe,heiȝ,heiȝe,heiȝh,heih,hei,heie,heij,hegh,heghe,heg,hege,heȝ,heȝe,heȝhe,heh,hehe,hehȝe,egh,eȝe,he,high,highe,hiȝ,hiȝe,hih,hihe,hiegh,hieȝ,hieȝe,iȝe,hi,hie,hij,heygh,heyghe,heyȝ,heyȝe,heyh,hey,heye,hygh,hyghe,hyȝ,hyȝe,hyh,hyhe,hyeȝ,yȝe,hy,hye
- heah,heahe,heahȝæ,heaȝe,heaȝæ,hæh,hæhȝe,hæge,hæȝe,hah,hage,haihe,aȝe,haie,haye(Early Middle English)
heigh
- alternative form ofhey(“hey”)
heigh
- alternative form ofhey(“hay”)
heigh
- alternative form ofhien(“to go quickly”)
FromMiddle Englishhighe, fromOld Englishhēh, fromProto-West Germanic*hauh.
heigh
- high
1867,GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:Heigh thoornes.- High thorns.
- Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor,A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published1867,page45
