ye
determiner/jiː/
/jiː/
- a word meaning ‘the’, used in the names of pubs, shops, etc. to make them seem old
- Ye Olde Starre Inn
Word Origindeterminer graphic variant; in late Middle English þ (see thorn sense (3)) came to be written identically with y, so that the could be written ye. This spelling (usually ye) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th cent., and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th cents., but it was never pronounced as “ye”.Definitions on the go
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