# אי
## Hebrew
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Etymology 1

Compare Egyptian jw (“island”) and Phoenician 𐤀𐤉 (ʾy).

#### Noun

אִי • (í) m (plural indefinite אִיִּים, plural construct אִיֵּי־)
* (literal or figurative) an island
** Tanach, Psalms 97:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:יְהוָה מָלָךְ תָּגֵל הָאָרֶץ יִשְׂמְחוּ אִיִּים רַבִּים׃Adonái malákh, tagél ha-árets; yism'ḥú iyyím rabim!The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad.
** Tanach, Ezekiel 26:18, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:עַתָּה יֶחְרְדוּ הָאִיִּן יוֹם מַפַּלְתֵּךְ וְנִבְהֲלוּ הָאִיִּים אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם מִצֵּאתֵךְ׃'Atá yeḥr'dú ha-iyyín yom mapaltékh, v-nivhalú ha-iyyím ashér ba-yám mitseitékh.Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; Yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be affrighted at thy going out.

##### Declension

| Number | Isolated forms | Isolated forms | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns |
| Number | State | Form | Person | singular | singular | plural | plural |
| Number | State | Form | Person | m. | f. | m. | f. |
| singular | indefinite | אִי | first | אִי | אִי | אִינוּ | אִינוּ |
| singular | definite | הָאִי | second | אִיךָ | אִיךְ | אִיכֶם | אִיכֶן |
| singular | construct | אִי־ | third | אִיו | אִיהָ | אִיהֶם | אִיהֶן |
| plural | indefinite | אִיִּים | first | אִיַּי | אִיַּי | אִיֵּינוּ | אִיֵּינוּ |
| plural | definite | הָאִיִּים | second | אִיֶּיךָ | אִיַּיִךְ | אִיֵיכֶם | אִיֵיכֶן |
| plural | construct | אִיֵי־ | third | אִיָּיו | אִיֶּיהָ | אִיֵיהֶם | אִיֵיהֶן |

##### Derived terms

* אִיֵּי שְׁלֹמֹה (iyéy sh’lomo)
* האיים המלדיביים (ha-iyim ha-maldiviyim)
* חֲצִי אִי (ḥatzí i) (peninsula)
* אִי בּוֹדֵד (i bodéd) (desert island)

##### References

* H339 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

### Etymology 2

Compare Egyptian jw (“dog”) and Arabic اِبْن آوَى (ibn ʔāwā).

#### Noun

אִי • (í) m (plural indefinite אִיִּים, plural construct אִיֵּי־)
* Egyptian jackal (Canis aureus lupaster)
** Tanach, Isaiah 13:22, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:וְעָנָה אִיִּים בְּאַלְמנוֹתָיו וְתַנִּים בְּהֵיכְלֵי עֹנֶגvə'aná iyyím bəalmənotáv vətanním bəhēchəlḗ 'ónegAnd jackals shall howl in their castles, And wild-dogs in the pleasant palaces

##### References

* H338 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

### Etymology 3
#### Adverb

אִי • (í)
* not
    אי אפשר ― í efshár ― impossible
** a. 1200, Maimonides, משנה תורה,‎ איסורי ביאה chapter 14:
    מה ראית שבאת להתגייר אי אתה יודע שישראל בזמן הזה דוויים ודחופים ומסוחפין ומטורפין ויסורין באין עליהןWhat did you see that you came convert? Don't you know that Israel [i.e. the Jews] in these times are anguished, crushed, eroded, subjugated, and torments come upon them?

#### Prefix

אִי־ • (í-)
* non-

##### Derived terms

* אִיכָבוֹד
* אִי נוֹחוּת (í-nokhút)

### Etymology 4
#### Conjunction

אִי • (í)
* if
** מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל,‎ מסכתא דפסחא, as quoted in, a. 1200, Maimonides, משנה תורה,‎ חמץ ומצה,‎ נוסח ההגדה:
    והגדת לבנך יכול מראש החודש תלמוד לומר ביום ההוא אי ביום ההוא יכול מבעוד יום תלמוד לומר בעבור זה לא אמרתי אלא בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מונחים לפניך"V-higádta l-vinkhá" — yakhól me-rosh ha-ḥódesh! Talmúd lomár "ba-yom ha-hu". I "ba-yom ha-hu", yakhól mi-be'ód yom! Talmúd lomár "ba'avúr zeh". Lo amárti éla be-sha'áh she-yesh matzáh u-marór munnaḥím lefanécha."And you will speak to your son" - it could be from the New Moon! But we learn where it is stated, "on that day." If it is "on that day," it could be from while it is still daytime! But we learn where it is stated, "for the sake of this." I did not say it except when matsa and bitter herbs are resting in front of you.

### Etymology 5
#### Interjection

אִי • (í)
* oh!, ah!

### Etymology 6

From Proto-Semitic *ʔayy-. Usually occuring in the form of אַיֵּה.

#### Adverb

אַי • (ay) (construct: אֵי)
* (biblical, interrogative, stative) Where.
** Tanach, Genesis 4:9, with translation of the King James Version:וַיֹּאמֶר יהוה אֶל־קַיִן אֵי הֶבֶל אָחִיךָvayómer YHVH el-káyin é hével achíchaAnd the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?

##### Usage notes

אֵי is used before certain adverbs and pronouns to give an interrogative meaning (see derived terms). In that case it sometimes remains a separate word, sometimes it merges with the following one.

##### Derived terms

* אֵי מִזֶּה ('e mizé)
* אֵי פַּעַם ('e pá'am)
* אֵיזֶה ('éze)
* אֵיךְ ('ekh)
* אֵיכָה ('ekhá)
* אֵימָתַי ('eimatáy)
* אֵיפֹה ('efó)

##### References

* H335 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* Klein, Ernest (1987) “אֵי”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎, Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 20a

### References

* “אי” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

### Further reading

* אי on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{he}$

### Anagrams

* יא

## Ladino
### Etymology

From Old Spanish e, from Latin et.

### Conjunction

אי (Hebrew spelling, Latin spelling i)
* and
** 1910, Ben Yitzhak Saserdoti, Refael i Miriam, page 3:אירה אונה די אקילייאס מאדֿרוגאדֿאס פֿריסקאס אי טיירנאס אין איל מיס די סיפטימברי, אינטרי ראש השנה אי יום כפור.Era una de akelyas maḏrugaḏas freskas i tiernas en el mes de septembre, entre Rosh Ashana i Yom Kippur.It was one of those fresh and tender early mornings in the month of September, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
* too