Yea (pronounced like “yay”) is a formal way of saying “yes,” especially when voting. In Congress, the Senate, or a committee meeting, members might be asked, “All in favor say yea, all opposed say nay.” When someone votes yea, they're voting in support of whatever is being decided.

It sounds old-fashioned because it mostly is: outside of formal votes, people usually just say “yes” or “yeah.” You might encounter yea when reading historical documents, parliamentary procedures, or stories set in earlier times.

Sometimes people confuse yea with yeah (the casual form of “yes”) or yay (an excited cheer). They sound similar but mean different things. If you're watching a city council vote on TV and hear someone say, “I vote yea,” they're casting a formal yes vote, not cheering.

The word can also mean “indeed” or “even,” as in the old-fashioned phrase “yea, verily,” meaning “yes, truly.” But this usage is rare today outside of historical or religious texts.