Where does “yay” come from?

yay (Turkish) comes from Ottoman Turkish یای, from Proto-Turkic yāy — summer, spring.

yay (Turkish): bow; second-person singular imperative of yaymak

Definitions

  1. bow; second-person singular imperative of yaymak

Ancestry of “yay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ottoman Turkishیایbow; anything bow-shaped, also in architecture an...
2Proto-Turkicyāysummer, spring
Every word from Proto-Turkic yāy →Every word from Ottoman Turkish یای →