saying

[sey-ing] /ˈseɪ ɪŋ/
noun
1.
something said, especially a proverb or apothegm.
Idioms
2.
go without saying, to be completely self-evident; be understood:
It goes without saying that you are welcome to visit us at any time.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English (gerund); see say1, -ing1
Synonyms
1. maxim, adage, saw, aphorism.

say1

[sey] /seɪ/
verb (used with object), said, saying.
1.
to utter or pronounce; speak: What did you say? I said “Hello!”.
2.
to express in words; state; declare; word:
Say it clearly and simply. It's hard to know how to say this tactfully.
3.
to state as an opinion or judgment:
I say her plan is the better one.
4.
to be certain, precise, or assured about; determine:
It is hard to say what is wrong.
5.
to recite or repeat:
to say one's prayers.
6.
to report or allege; maintain:
People say he will resign.
7.
to express (a message, viewpoint, etc.), as through a literary or other artistic medium:
a writer with something to say.
8.
to indicate or show:
What does your watch say?
9.
to assume as a hypothesis or estimate:
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that it's true.
verb (used without object), said, saying.
10.
to speak; declare; express an opinion.
adverb
11.
approximately; about:
It's, say, 14 feet long.
12.
for example:
If you serve, say tuna fish and potato chips, it will cost much less.
noun
13.
what a person says or has to say.
14.
the right or opportunity to speak, decide, or exercise influence:
to have one's say in choosing the candidate.
15.
a turn to say something:
It is now my say.
interjection
16.
(used to express surprise, get attention, etc.)
Idioms
17.
that is to say. that (def 16).
Origin
before 900; Middle English seyen, seggen, Old English secgan; cognate with Dutch zeggen, German sagen, Old Norse segja; akin to saw3
Related forms
sayer, noun

say2

[sey] /seɪ/
verb (used with object), noun, British Dialect
1.
assay.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English sayen, aphetic variant of assayen to assay
Examples from the web for saying
  • It seemed to her that the world was full of meaningless people saying words.
  • But saying you need to take a view is not the same as taking one.
  • Some traditional newspaper firms dismiss free papers, saying they are not profitable.
  • The confusion is whether the index is saying more about the supply of ships than the demand for their cargoes.
  • There is no controversy in saying that shoddy infrastructure is holding the continent back.
  • Recessions uncover what auditors do not, as the old saying goes.
  • Party spokesmen refuse to describe her illness, apart from saying that she left intensive care after an operation.
  • But the demonstrators spurn this, saying it will make the developers richer but not make housing cheaper.
  • Often, the trouble isn't what you're saying but how you're saying it.
  • Explain that people in different parts of the world have different ways of saying hello.
British Dictionary definitions for saying

saying

/ˈseɪɪŋ/
noun
1.
a maxim, adage, or proverb

say1

/seɪ/
verb (mainly transitive) says (sɛz), saying, said
1.
to speak, pronounce, or utter
2.
(also intransitive) to express (an idea) in words; tell: we asked his opinion but he refused to say
3.
(also intransitive; may take a clause as object) to state (an opinion, fact, etc) positively; declare; affirm
4.
to recite: to say grace
5.
(may take a clause as object) to report or allege: they say we shall have rain today
6.
(may take a clause as object) to take as an assumption; suppose: let us say that he is lying
7.
(may take a clause as object) to convey by means of artistic expression: the artist in this painting is saying that we should look for hope
8.
to make a case for: there is much to be said for either course of action
9.
(usually passive) (Irish) to persuade or coax (someone) to do something: If I hadn't been said by her, I wouldn't be in this fix
10.
go without saying, to be so obvious as to need no explanation
11.
(mainly Brit, informal) I say!, an exclamation of surprise
12.
not to say, even; and indeed
13.
that is to say, in other words; more explicitly
14.
to say nothing of, as well as; even disregarding: he was warmly dressed in a shirt and heavy jumper, to say nothing of a thick overcoat
15.
to say the least, without the slightest exaggeration; at the very least
adverb
16.
approximately: there were, say, 20 people present
17.
for example: choose a number, say, four
noun
18.
the right or chance to speak: let him have his say
19.
authority, esp to influence a decision: he has a lot of say in the company's policy
20.
a statement of opinion: you've had your say, now let me have mine
interjection
21.
(US & Canadian, informal) an exclamation to attract attention or express surprise, etc
Derived Forms
sayer, noun
Word Origin
Old English secgan; related to Old Norse segja, Old Saxon seggian, Old High German sagēn

say2

/seɪ/
noun
1.
(archaic) a type of fine woollen fabric
Word Origin
C13: from Old French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum a type of woollen cloak
Word Origin and History for saying
n.

"utterance, recitation, action of the verb 'say,' " c.1300, verbal noun from say (v.); meaning "something that has been said" (usually by someone thought important) is from c.1300; sense of "a proverb" is first attested mid-15c.

Ça va sans dire, a familiar French locution, whose English equivalent might be "that is a matter of course," or "that may be taken for granted." But recently it has become the tendency to translate it literally, "that goes without saying," and these words, though originally uncouth and almost unmeaning to the unpractised ear, are gradually acquiring the exact meaning of the French. [Walsh, 1892]

say

v.

Old English secgan "to utter, inform, speak, tell, relate," from Proto-Germanic *sagjanan (cf. Old Saxon seggian, Old Norse segja, Danish sige, Old Frisian sedsa, Middle Dutch segghen, Dutch zeggen, Old High German sagen, German sagen "to say"), from PIE *sokwyo-, from root *sekw- (3) "to say, utter" (cf. Hittite shakiya- "to declare," Lithuanian sakyti "to say," Old Church Slavonic sociti "to vindicate, show," Old Irish insce "speech," Old Latin inseque "to tell say").

Past tense said developed from Old English segde. Not attested in use with inanimate objects (clocks, signs, etc.) as subjects before 1930. You said it "you're right" first recorded 1919; you can say that again as a phrase expressing agreement is recorded from 1942, American English. You don't say (so) as an expression of astonishment (often ironic) is first recorded 1779, American English.

n.

"what someone says," 1570s, from say (v.). Meaning "right or authority to influence a decision" is from 1610s. Extended form say-so is first recorded 1630s. Cf. Old English secge "speech."

Slang definitions & phrases for saying

say

Related Terms

what do you say


Idioms and Phrases with saying

say

also see:
also see under:
said