what is "achalay"?

Question

Can someone tell me what ¡achalay! means? It came from Muchacha Punk so I guess it is Argentinian. Maybe something like "at long last!" ... ?

Here´s the context:

!Achalay! -- no fuimos al dormitorio de su hermana.

Answer 1

Yes, It's from Argentina (from Salta).

Voz quechua con la que se expresa admiración o satisfacción con algo.

Quechua word that expresses the admiration or satisfaction with something.

Thank you, that´s really interesting. Searching achalay and quechua gives some fascinating results. - kattya, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 2

In Spain we never never use this word, but the RAE accepts it: Link

Answer 3

Well, according to the babylon dictionary, which is the only one I can find it in, it is an Andean word meaning "brrr, or shiver", and is used as an exclamation of joy.

Their German/Spanish dictionary translates it as "wunderschon", so I guess it must mean something like "great!"

Answer 4

En alguno lugares de Argentina se usa Bebay! como sinonimo. Lo cual no deja de ser curioso porque tengo entendido que en slang americano bebay significa mujer guapa y se usa como piropo.