I

1. I, the ninth letter of the English alphabet, takes its form from the Phœnician, through the Latin and the Greek. The Phœnician letter was probably of Egyptian origin. Its original value was nearly the same as that of the Italian I, or long e as in mete . Etymologically I is most closely related to e , y , j , g ; as in d i nt, d e nt, b e verage, L. b i bere; E. k i n, AS. c y nn; E. th i n, AS. þ y nne; E. domin i on, don j on, dun g eon.
2. In our old authors, I was often used for ay (or aye ), yes, which is pronounced nearly like it.
3. As a numeral, I stands for 1, II for 2, etc.
4. The nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the word with which a speaker or writer denotes himself.

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