wee

See also: Wee, weè, and wêe

English

Pronunciation

enPR: wē, IPA^(key): /wiː/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -iː
Homophones: oui, we, whee (in accents with the wine-whine merger), Wii

Etymology 1

From Middle English wey, weygh, wegh, weȝe, wæȝe (“little bit”), from Old English wǣġ, wǣġe (“weight”), from Proto-West Germanic *wāgu, from Proto-Germanic *wēgō (“scales, weight”) and *wēgǭ (“weight”), related to Middle English weġan (“to move, weigh”) (15c).

Adjective

wee (comparative weer, superlative weest)

(Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, New Zealand) Small, little.
- 1907, Barbara Baynton, Sally Krimmer; Alan Lawson, editors, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 275:
  The beat of its wee heart held against her own, sent her intense maternity surging like the spring sap in a young tree.
- 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin 2009, p. 73:
  I had not seen a wee boy do it like that before. He was weer than me and his swimming was just like splashing about.
You looked a little cold, so I lit a wee fire.

Translations

small, little

Bashkir: бәләкәй (bäläkäy), бәләкәс (bäläkäs), кесе (kese), кескәй (keskäy)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 細小／细小 (zh) (xìxiǎo), 微小 (zh) (wēixiǎo)
Czech: malý (cs)
Dutch: klein (nl), petieterig (nl), pietepeuterig (nl)
Finnish: pikkuruinen (fi)
French: petit (fr)
Georgian: პაწაწა (ṗac̣ac̣a), პაწაწინა (ṗac̣ac̣ina), პაწაწკინტელა (ṗac̣ac̣ḳinṭela), ციცქნა (cickna), პატარა (ka) (ṗaṭara), მცირე (mcire)
German: winzig (de), klein (de)
Greek: μικρούτσικος (el) (mikroútsikos), τοσοσδά (tososdá)
Hebrew: קטן‎ (he) m (katán)
Hungarian: apró (hu), csöpp
Irish: beag
Italian: piccolo (it)
Japanese: 小っちゃい (ちっちゃい, chitchai)
Persian: کوچولو‎ (fa) (kučulu)
Portuguese: pequeno (pt), miúdo (pt)
Russian: кро́шечный (ru) (króšečnyj), кро́хотный (ru) (króxotnyj), малю́сенький (ru) (maljúsenʹkij), ма́ленький (ru) (málenʹkij), ничто́жный (ru) (ničtóžnyj) (of quantity)
Serbo-Croatian: mali (sh), sićušan
Spanish: pequeño (es)
Swedish: liten (sv)
Turkish: küçük (tr)
Urdu: چھوٹی‎ f (čhōṭī)

Noun

wee

A short time or short distance.

References

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition (1997)

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic for the sound of urination. The noun derives from the verb.

Noun

wee (countable and uncountable, plural wees)

(colloquial, uncountable) Urine.
(colloquial, countable) An act of urination.
I need to have a wee

Synonyms

(all senses): wee-wee
(urine): See Thesaurus:urine
(urination): See Thesaurus:urination

Translations

urine — See also translations at urine

Czech: moč (cs) f, čuránky, chcanky (cs)
Dutch: pis (nl) m, urine (nl) f
Finnish: pissa (fi)
French: pipi (fr) m
German: Pipi (de) n
Greek: τσίσα (el) n pl (tsísa), πιπί (el) n (pipí)
Italian: pipì (it) f
Japanese: おしっこ (ja) (oshikko)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: میز‎ (ku) (mîz)
Norwegian: tiss (no) n
Portuguese: xixi (pt) m
Spanish: orina (es), pis (es) m, pipí (es) m
Swedish: kiss (sv), pink (sv), piss (sv), urin (sv)
Turkish: çiş (tr), sidik (tr)

act of urination — See also translations at urination

Czech: čůrání n
Dutch: plas (nl) m
Finnish: pissaaminen (fi)
Greek: τσίσα (el) n pl (tsísa), πιπί (el) n (pipí)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: میز کردن‎ (mîz kirdin)
Norwegian: tisse (no)

Verb

wee (third-person singular simple present wees, present participle weeing, simple past and past participle weed)

(UK, colloquial) To urinate.
I need to wee! I can't hold it any longer!

Synonyms

wee-wee, see also Thesaurus:urinate

Derived terms

wee-wee

Translations

to urinate — See also translations at urinate

Czech: čůrat (cs) impf, chcát (cs) impf
Dutch: plassen (nl), pipi doen (nl), wateren (nl), pissen (nl), urineren (nl)
Finnish: pissata (fi), pissiä (fi)
French: faire pipi (fr)
German: pinkeln (de), pissen (de), Pipi machen (de)
Greek: κάνω τσίσα (káno tsísa), κατουράω (el) (katouráo)
Italian: fare la pipì (it)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: میز کردن‎ (mîz kirdin)
Portuguese: fazer xixi
Russian: пи́сать (ru) impf (písatʹ) (homograph with писать (pisát’) - to write), попи́сать (ru) pf (popísatʹ)
Spanish: hacer pis (es), hacer pipi (es)
Swedish: pinka (sv), pissa (sv), kissa (sv)
Turkish: çiş yapma, işeme (tr)

Etymology 3

see we

Pronoun

wee (personal pronoun)

obsolete emphatic of we
- 1645 Marhc, John Milton, Tetrachordon.
  Yet lest wee should be Capernaitans, as wee are told there that the flesh profiteth nothing, so wee are told heer, if we be not as deaf as adders, that this union of the flesh proceeds from the union of a fit help and solace.

Anagrams

Ewe, eew, ewe

Afar

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈweː/

Hyphenation: wee

Verb

wée (autobenefactive weyité)

(transitive) lack
(transitive) miss
(auxiliary) Used to form the negative of some moods and aspects.

Conjugation

Conjugation of wee (irregular)

1st singular

2nd singular

3rd singular

1st plural

2nd plural

3rd plural

m

f

perfective

V-affirmative

wéeh

waytéh

wéeh

waytéh

waynéh

wayteeníh

weeníh

N-affirmative

wée

wayté

wée

wayté

wayné

waytén

wéen

negative

máwanniyo

máwannito

máwanna

máwannino

máwanniton

máwannon

imperfective

V-affirmative

wáah

waytáh

wáah

waytáh

waynáh

waytaanáh

waanáh

N-affirmative

wáa

waytá

wáa

waytá

waytán

wáan

máwaa

negative

máwayta

máwaa

máwayta

máwayna

máwaytan

máwaan

wéeliyoh, wéeyyoh

prospective

V-affirmative

wéelitoh, wéettoh

wéeleh

wéelinoh, wéennoh

wéelitoonuh, wéettoonuh

wéeloonuh

wéeliyo, wéeyyo

N-affirmative

wéelito, wéetto

wéele

wéelino, wéenno

wéeliton, wéetton

wéelon

wáyuh

conjunctive I

V-affirmative

wáytuh

wáyuh

wáytuh

wáynuh

waytóonuh

wóonuh

wáyu

N-affirmative

wáytu

wáyu

wáytu

wáynu

wáytoonu

wóonu

wée wáyuh

negative

wée wáytuh

wée wáyuh

wée wáytuh

wée wáynuh

wée waytóonuh

wée wóonuh

wáankeh

conjunctive II

V-affirmative

waytánkeh

wáankeh

waytánkeh

waynánkeh

waytaanánkeh

waanánkeh

wáanke

N-affirmative

waytánke

wáanke

waytánke

waynánke

waytaanánke

waanánke

wée wáankeh

negative

wée waytánkeh

wée wáankeh

wée waytánkeh

wée waynánkeh

wée waytaanánkeh

wée waanánkeh

wáay

jussive

affirmative

wáytay

wáay

wáytay

wáynay

waytóonay

wóonay

wée wáay

negative

wée wáytay

wée wáay

wée wáytay

wée wáynay

wée waytóonay

wée wóonay

wanniyóy

past
conditional

affirmative

wannitóy

wannáy

wanninóy

wannitóonuy

wanninóonuy

wée wóonay

negative

wée wanniyóy

wée wannitóy

wée wannáy

wée wanninóy

wée wannitóonuy

wée wanninóonuy

present
conditional I

affirmative

wéek

wayték

wéek

wayték

waynék

wayteeník

weeník

negative

wée wéek

wée wayték

wée wéek

wée wayték

wée waynék

wée wayteeník

wée weeník

singular

plural

singular

plural

consultative

affirmative

wayóo

waynóo

imperative

affirmative

wáy

wáya

negative

mawayóo

mawaynóo

negative

máwan

máwana

-h converb

-i form

-k converb

-in(n)uh converb

-innuk converb

infinitive

indefinite participle

V-focus

N-focus

wáah

wáyi

wáak

wayínnuh

wayínnuk

wayíyya

wannáanih

wannáan

Compound tenses
past perfect		affirmative perfective + perfective of én or *sugé*
present perfect		affirmative perfective + imperfective of én
future perfect		affirmative perfective + prospective of *sugé*
past progressive		-k converb + imperfective of én or *sugé*
present progressive		affirmative imperfect + imperfective of én
future progressive		-k converb + prospective of *sugé*
immediate future		affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of *wée*
imperfect potential I		affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of *takké*
imperfect potential II	affirmative	imperfective + -m + *takké*
imperfect potential II	negative	wée + imperfective of *wée* + -m + *takké*
perfect potential	affirmative	perfective + -m + *takké*
perfect potential	negative	wée + perfective of *wée* + -m + *takké*
present conditional II	affirmative	imperfective + object pronoun + *tekkék*
present conditional II	negative	wée + perfective of *wée* + object pronoun + *tekkék*
perfect conditional	affirmative	perfective + imperfective of *sugé* + -k
perfect conditional	negative	perfective + *sugé* + imperfective of *wée* -k
irrealis		wée + perfective of *xaaxé* or *raaré*

References

E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “wee”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎, Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wē, from Proto-West Germanic *wai, from Proto-Germanic *wai.

Compare Old English wā (English woe), Old High German wē (German weh), Old Norse vei.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)
IPA^(key): /ʋeː/
Rhymes: -eː

Adjective

wee (not comparable)

nauseating

Inflection

Inflection of wee
uninflected	wee
inflected	weeë
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		wee
indefinite	m./f. sing.	weeë
	n. sing.	wee
	plural	weeë
definite		weeë
partitive		wees

Noun

wee f (plural weeën, diminutive weetje n)

contraction during labour or childbirth
De weeën beginnen!
The contractions are starting!
(archaic) sorrow, sadness, pain, woe (used in interjections of despair or annoyance)
O wee, wat zal er van ons worden.
Oh woe, what shall become of us.

Derived terms

(sorrow): o wee, ach en wee, heimwee

Anagrams

Ewe

Kikuyu

Pronoun

wee (second person singular)

Alternative spelling of we (“you, thou”)

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wē, from Proto-West Germanic *wai.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /weː/

Interjection

wêe

woe!

Descendants

Dutch: wee

Adjective

wêe

unpleasant, painful

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Dutch: wee

Noun

wêe f

pain

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Dutch: wee
Limburgish: wieë

Middle English

Noun

wee

Alternative form of we (“woe”)

Scots

Etymology

From Old English wēġ(e), wǣġ (unit of weight).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wiː/

Adjective

wee (comparative weer, superlative weest)

(standard, Ulster) small, little, tiny

Yola

Etymology 1

From Middle English wiþ, from Old English wiþ.

Alternative forms

wie, wi, wi', w', wough

Preposition

wee

with

Derived terms

w'aam
w'aare
w'all
w'eeme
wi'oute
w'ous

Pronoun

wee

Alternative form of wough (“we”)
- 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
  Note will wee dra aaght to-die?
  I don't know will we draw any to-day?

References

Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 59 & 77

Yoruba

Etymology

Clipping of ìwé. Cognates with Yoruba èyí, Ìkálẹ̀ Yoruba ìyí

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /wèé/

Determiner

wèé

(Ijebu) this

Related terms

ìwé (“this”)
ọ̀wọ̀nwé (“these”)
wọ̀nwé (“this”)
ọ̀wọ̀nyẹ̀n (“those”)
wọ̀nyẹ̀n (“those”)
ìyẹ̀n (“that”)
yẹ̀n (“that”)

wee

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Translations

Noun

References

Etymology 2

Noun

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

Pronoun

Anagrams

Afar

Pronunciation

Verb

Conjugation

References

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Noun

Derived terms

Anagrams

Kikuyu

Pronoun

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Interjection

Descendants

Adjective

Inflection

Descendants

Noun

Inflection

Descendants

Further reading

Middle English

Noun

Scots

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Yola

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Preposition

Derived terms

Pronoun

References

Yoruba

Etymology

Pronunciation

Determiner

Related terms