Definition
An exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, or exasperation, a casual variant of 'lord.'
Etymology
From 'lord,' derived from Old English 'hlāford' (bread keeper), originally a title of respect. The '-y' suffix makes it more casual and emphatic, similar to how 'goodness' becomes 'goodness me' or 'lordy-lordy.'
Kelly Says
'Lordy' is a perfect example of how English speakers soften religious oaths over time—instead of saying 'Lord,' we said 'Lordy,' which feels secular even though it's still invoking divinity!
Translations
ARالعربية
يا إلهي!
ya-ilah-ee!
BNবাংলা
ভগবান!
bhag-oban!
CACatalà
Senyor!
sen-yor!
DEDeutsch
Ach, Herr!
akh, her!
ELΕλληνικά
Κύριε!
ky-ree!
ESEspañol
¡Señor!
¡se-nyor!
FAفارسی
خدایا!
kho-day-a!
FRFrançais
Mon Dieu!
mon-dee-oh!
HIहिन्दी
हे भगवान!
he bhag-waan!
IDBahasa Indonesia
Tuhan!
too-han!
ITItaliano
Signore!
see-no-re!
JA日本語
やあ、神様!
yaa, kami-sama!
MSBahasa Melayu
Ya Tuhan!
ya-too-han!
NLNederlands
Mijn God!
mijn-god!
PAPA
Waheguru!
wa-he-gu-ru!
PTPortuguês
Meu Deus!
meu-deus!
RORomână
Doamne!
do-am-ne!
RUРусский
Господи!
gos-podi!
SWKiswahili
Mungu!
mun-gu!
TLTL
Diyos ko!
dee-yos ko!
TRTürkçe
Tanrım!
tan-rim!
UKУкраїнська
Господи!
gos-podi!
VITiếng Việt
Ô trời ơi!
oh-troi-oi!
ZUZU
Nkulunkulu!
n-kul-un-ku-lu!