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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Yes \Yes\, adverb [OE. yis, [yogh]is, [yogh]es, [yogh]ise, AS. gese, gise; probably fr. ge['a] yea + sw[=a] so. [root]188. See {Yea}, and {So}.] Ay; yea; -- a word which expresses affirmation or consent; -- opposed to {no}.
Note: Yes is used, like yea, to enforce, by repetition or addition, something which precedes; as, you have done all this -- yes, you have done more. ''Yes, you despise the man books confined.'' --Pope.
Note: ''The fine distinction between 'yea' and 'yes,' 'nay' and 'no,' that once existed in English, has quite disappeared. 'Yea' and 'nay' in Wyclif's time, and a good deal later, were the answers to questions framed in the affirmative. 'Will he come?' To this it would have been replied, 'Yea' or 'Nay', as the case might be. But, 'Will he not come?' To this the answer would have been 'Yes' or 'No.' Sir Thomas More finds fault with Tyndale, that in his translation of the Bible he had not observed this distinction, which was evidently therefore going out even then, that is, in the reign of Henry VIII.; and shortly after it was quite forgotten.'' --Trench.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
yes
noun: an affirmative; "I was hoping for a yes" [ant: {no}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
150 Moby Thesaurus words for "yes": Australian ballot, Hare system, OK, Roger, abide by, absolutely, accede, accept, acclaim, accordantly, acquiesce, acquiesce in, acquiescently, affirmative, affirmative attitude, affirmatively, affirmativeness, agree, agree to, agree with, agreeably, agreed, all right, alright, alrighty, amen, applaud, approvingly, as you say, assent, assentingly, assuredly, aye, ballot, beyond a doubt, buy, by all means, canvass, canvassing, casting vote, certainly, cheer, compliantly, comply, consent, consentingly, counting heads, cumulative voting, da, deciding vote, division, enfranchisement, exactly, fagot vote, favorably, fine, franchise, give the nod, gladly, good, good enough, graveyard vote, hail, hand vote, hear, hold with, in toto, indeed, indeedy, ja, just so, list system, mais oui, most assuredly, naturally, naturellement, nay, no, nod, nod assent, nod of assent, nontransferable vote, of course, okay, oui, plebiscite, plebiscitum, plumper, plural vote, poll, polling, positively, precisely, preferential voting, proportional representation, proxy, quite, rather, really, receive, record vote, referendum, representation, right, right to vote, righto, rising vote, say, secret ballot, show of hands, single vote, snap vote, straw vote, subscribe, subscribe to, suffrage, sure, sure thing, surely, take kindly to, thumbs-up, to be sure, transferable vote, truly, undoubtedly, unquestionably, very well, viva voce, voice, voice vote, vote, vote for, voting, voting right, welcome, well and good, why yes, willingly, write-in, write-in vote, yea, yea-saying, yeah, yeas and nays, yep, yes indeed, yes indeedy, yes sir, yes sirree, yield assent
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