Forms: 3 aȝȝ, 3–4 ai, 5 ei, aey, 6 aie, 4– aye, 3– ay. [Early ME. aȝȝ, ai, ei: a. ON. ei, ey, cogn. with OE. á (:—*áw), ME. o, oo, OS. eo, OHG. eo, io, MHG. ie, mod.G. je, Goth. aiw, acc. of aiws ‘age, eternity’:—OTeut. *aiwo-z, cogn. w. L. ævu-m. Cf. Gr. ἀεί, αἰϝεί ‘ever,’ and αἰϝών- ‘age.’ Preceded in Eng. by the native á, ó, which also continued for several centuries as the southern form: the two were combined in the phrase ‘for ay and oo.’ Except in poetry, ay is still northern. The spelling fluctuates between ay and aye: the former is preferable on grounds of etymology, phonology and analogy. The word rhymes, in the literary speech, and in all the dialects, with the group bay, day, gay, hay, may, way. On the other hand, aye ‘yes’ does not rhyme with these, and should not be written ay. See AYE.]
1. a. Ever, always, continually; b. at all times, on all occasions. (Now only in Sc. and north. dial.)
c. 1200. Ormin, 3212. Hiss drinnch wass water aȝȝ occ aȝȝ.
c. 1220. Hali Meid., 21. Ah schulen weimeres lead ai mare in helle.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 5. Luuen god and seruen him ay.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Monkes T., 197. An ydolaster was he ay.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 27. He doþ ai þo þingis þat plesun God.
a. 1440. Sir Degrev., 40. He bare the pryes aey.
c. 1440. Sir Gowther (1883), 260. Hyt hong ei be his syde.
a. 1450. Myrc, 452. The ioye þat lasteþ ay.
1509. Barclay, Ship of Fooles (1570), 210. Flatterers ay speake fayrest when they lye.
1562. Leigh, Armorie, Prel. But from the light aie shrowds her selfe aside.
1605. Shaks., Macb., IV. i. 134. Let this pernitious houre Stand aye accursed in the Kalender!
1724. A. Ramsay, Tea-T. Misc. (1733), I. 3. Its sweets I’ll ay remember.
1790. Burns, Tam O’Shanter. And ay the ale was growing better.
1826. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 252. They aye behaved generously to me.
† 2. with comparative degree. (Still in Sc.)
a. 1325. Metr. Hom., 73. Ay the halyar that a man es, The mar lufes he meknes.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 136. And ay þe lenger ich lete þe go · þe lasse treuthe ys with þe.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 26. Ay þe moo lusts þat þei haue here, ay þe more schal ben þer peyn.
Mod. Sc. Things grew ay the langer, the waur [i.e., ever the longer, the worse].
3. Phrases: a. For ay: for ever, to all eternity. Also amplified, for ever and ay; in ME. for ay and o. (Only poet. in Eng.; in prose use in Sc.)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6218. Þat suld vs serue for euer and ai.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 1034. But that was infynyte for ay and oo.
1590. R. Harvey, Pl. Perc., 24. Where I for aie will make thy praises tarry.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, Pref. 6. His trauels do deserue our prayse for ay.
1706. De Foe, Jure Div., Pref. 36. There let it ly for ever and for ay.
1838. Mrs. Browning, Rom. Ganges, xvi. The love will last for aye.
† b. In aye: for ever. Obs.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter lxii. 9. God oure helper in ai es he.
4. As adj. Eternal. rare–1.
1839. Bailey, Festus, xxv. (1848), 313. Whose flowings forth are aye and infinite.
5. In comb. = Ever: a. with pples., as ay-during, -living, -remaining, -running, -varied, AY-LASTING b. with adverbs, as ay-forth: ever onward. Also AY-GREEN.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Eternel, euerlasting, ayduring.
1589. Tri. Love & Fortune, III. in Hazl., Dodsl., VI. 192. Ay-during still thy woe.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 386. Ay-living herbs.
1608. Shaks., Per., III. i. 63. Aye-remaining lamps.
1857. Emerson, Poems, 10. His aye-rolling orbit.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 327. Springs ay-running by.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Wks. (1711), 30/2. Ay-varied bliss.
a. 1375. Joseph Arim., 126. Þat he nas god ay forþ.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 14. That it lest ay furth in memory.
