An affirmative vote, usually but not always spoken
"The committee cast a yea and nay vote to approve the new budget."
In plain English: A yea is an old-fashioned word for saying yes to something.
"The people in the crowd kept shouting yea until the vote was counted."
Usage: Use this noun to refer specifically to an oral affirmation cast during a formal voting process rather than the adverb meaning yes. It is most common in political or legislative contexts where votes are counted by voice.
Or even, or more like, nay. Introduces a stronger and more appropriate expression than the preceding one.
"The proposal was not merely rejected; yea, it was utterly demolished by the opposition's sharp rebuttal."
Yeah, right, yes.
"The child scribbled yea on her paper instead of writing yay to celebrate winning the game."
Alternative spelling of yeah
Misspelling of yay.
The word "yea" comes from Old English and originally meant "yes." Its unusual modern spelling developed later because speakers associated it with its opposite, "nay," causing the pronunciation to shift toward a long 'e' sound.