Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ofay

/ˈoʊfeɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ofay
IPA: /ˈoʊfeɪ/

10

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A white person.

American usage; Slang

adj

White; white-skinned.

American usage; Slang

Example Sentences

"For example we have words like ofay, pink, fade, space, Mr. Charlie, cracker, peckawood, hoojah, and so on—nice words and bitter."
"You get outa my alley, Lucas -- and take that ofay with you, hear?"
"The rival, the foe, the ofay, veins stretched and bulged between white knuckles."
"“You better tell your little ofay kid friend move along.”"
"‘Baby,’ April Elgar said, ‘you may be an uptight ofay milk-toast limey bastard, but you ain’t no fag.’"
"Everything is strictly peachy keen, as the ofay kids say."

Etymology

Unknown; perhaps from an African language (possibly Yoruba ófé (“to evade, disappear”)). Pig Latin for foe, though popularly posited, is probably not accurate. A possible point of origin is Cab Calloway's Hepster's Dictionary, where the word is defined as "Policeman or law enforcement, 'The Man'".

Word Breakdown

Root: ófé

Usage

American usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

ofays (plural) more ofay (comparative) most ofay (superlative)

Synonyms

honky whitey abelungu ang moh Angrez balanda béké bule cac Caucasian cornstarch crusader cracker

Homonyms

au fait

Questions

How do you pronounce ofay?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈoʊfeɪ/.
What does ofay mean?: A white person.
Where does ofay come from?: Unknown; perhaps from an African language (possibly Yoruba ófé (“to evade, disappear”)). Pig Latin for foe, though popularly posited, is probably not accurate. A possible point of origin is Cab Calloway's Hepster's Dictionary, where the word is defined as "Policeman or law enforcement, 'The Man'".

How to pronounce ofay

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ofay”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈoʊfeɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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