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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ye gods en · INTJ

Pronunciation

Etymology

Seventeenth-century British variant of oh my God, probably intended to avoid blasphemy. Compare Danish I guder.

Meanings

  1. (dated, euphemistic, idiomatic) Used to express surprise or incredulity.
    • Ye Gods, what Havock does Ambition make Among your Works! 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:
    • Would he not far rather lay him down lengthwise along the line of the equator; yea, ye gods! go down to the fiery pit itself, in order to keep out this frost? 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter 2”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

Deriveds

ye gods and little fishes · egads

Translations (3)

da I guder (expression of surprise or incredulity) · fr dieux du ciel (expression of surprise or incredulity) · fi taivaan vallat (expression of surprise or incredulity)