դե

դե

Armenian

Alternative forms

• դէ (dē), դէհ (dēh) – traditional orthography spelling
• դեհ (deh)

Etymology

According to Shanidze, from Georgian დე (de), from დეე (dee), from დაე (dae).

Pronunciation

• (Eastern Armenian, standard) IPA^(key): [dɛ]
• (Western Armenian, standard) IPA^(key): [tʰɛ]

Interjection

դե • (de) (Yerevan)

1. well (emphasizing imperatives, expressing encouragement, despair, surprise, contradiction)

   Դեհ, տղերք, շո՛ւտ։ ― Deh, tłerkʿ, šút. ― Come on guys, quickly.

   Դե, ի՞նչ անեմ։ ― De, i^?nčʿ anem. ― Well, what can I do?

   Դե արի ու մի ասա։ ― De ari u mi asa. ― (Untranslatable folklore)

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1913), “դեհ”, in Hayerēn gawaṙakan baṙaran [Armenian Provincial Dictionary] (Ēminean azgagrakan žołovacu; 9) (in Armenian), Tiflis: Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, page 271b
• Malxaseancʿ, Stepʿan (1944), “դէհ”, in Hayerēn bacʿatrakan baṙaran [Armenian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Armenian), volume I, Yerevan: State Publishing House, page 508b
• Šaniʒe, Aḳaḳi (1980) Kartuli enis gramaṭiḳis sapuʒvlebi [Basics of Georgian Grammar] (Txzulebani tormeṭ ṭomad; 3) (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Tbilisi State University Press, § 654, page 613
• Sargsyan, Artem et al., editors (2001), “դե”, in Hayocʿ lezvi barbaṙayin baṙaran [Dialectal Dictionary of the Armenian Language] (in Armenian), volume I, Yerevan: Hayastan, page 321b