Ay, interj. Ah! alas! "Ay me! I fondly dream •Had ye been there.’" Milton.

Ay, adv. Same as Aye.

Ayah
A´yah, n. [Pg. aia, akin to Sp. aya a governess, ayo a tutor.] A native nurse for children; also a lady’s maid. [India] { Aye, Ay }, adv. [Perh. a modification of yea, or from the interjection of admiration or astonishment, OE. ei, ey, why, hey, ay, well, ah, ha. Cf. MHG. & G. ei, Dan. ej. Or perh. akin to aye ever.] Yes; yea; — a word expressing assent, or an affirmative answer to a question. It is much used in viva voce voting in legislative bodies, etc. This word is written I in the early editions of Shakespeare and other old writers.

Aye, n. An affirmative vote; one who votes in the affirmative; as "To call for the ayes and noes;" "The ayes have it." { Aye, Ay }, adv. [Icel. ei, ey; akin to AS. a, awa, always, Goth. aiws an age, Icel. aefi, OHG, wa, L. aevum, Gr. an age,,, ever, always, G. je, Skr. v. course., . Cf. Age, v. , Either, a. , Or, conj. ] Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time.
"For his mercies aye endure." - Milton.
For aye, always; forever; eternally.

Aye-aye
Aye´-aye, n. [From the native name, prob. from its cry.] (Zoöl.) A singular nocturnal quadruped, allied to the lemurs, found in Madagascar ( Cheiromys Madagascariensis), remarkable for its long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth.

Ayegreen
Aye´green, n. [ Aye ever + green.] (Bot.) The houseleek ( Sempervivum tectorum). Halliwell. { A•yen´, A•yein´, A•yeins´ }, adv. & prep. [OE., . See Again.] Again; back against. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ayenward
A•yen´ward, adv. Backward. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ayle, n. [OE. ayel, aiel, OF. aiol, aiel, F. aïeul, a dim. of L. avus grandfather.] A grandfather. [Obs.] Writ of Ayle, an ancient English writ which lay against a stranger who had dispossessed the demandant of land of which his grandfather died seized.

Ayme
Ay´me, n. [Cf. F. ahi interj.] The utterance of the ejaculation "Ay me !" [Obs.] See Ay, interj. "Aymees and hearty heigh-hoes." J. Fletcher.

Ayond
A•yond´, prep. & adv. Beyond. [North of Eng.]

Ayont
A•yont´, prep. & adv. Beyond. [Scot.] { A´y•rie, A´y•ry }, n. See Aerie. Drayton.

Ayrshire
Ayr´shire, n. (Agric.) One of a superior breed of cattle from Ayrshire, Scotland. Ayrshires are notable for the quantity and quality of their milk.

Ayuntamiento
A•yun•ta•mi•en´to, n. [Sp., fr. OSp. ayuntar to join.] In Spain and Spanish America, a corporation or body of magistrates in cities and towns, corresponding to mayor and aldermen.