What does yea mean in modern English?

"Yea" means "yes" in a number of contexts in Modern English. Often it is paired with the Word "nay" meaning "no", so people may say "vote yea or nay"

The spelling "yea" indicates that the Word is pronounced to rhyme with the Word "play". If it is pronounced to rhyme with "blah" it is usually spelled "yeah" as in The Beatles' song "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah". The meaning is the same.