Wiktionary

lai

See also: Appendix:Variations of "lai"

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English lai, lay, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Old Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “a dance”), Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). More at lake.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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lai (plural lais)

  1. (historical) A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat.

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Anagrams

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Aromanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain. Compare Romanian lai, Albanian ljaj.

Adjective

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lai

  1. black
  2. (figurative) poor, miserable, unfortunate
  3. (figurative) wicked, bad

Synonyms

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Bavarian

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Alternative forms

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Adverb

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lai

  1. (Austria, Tyrol) only, just

Bourguignon

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Etymology

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From Latin illa.

Article

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lai (masculine le or lou, plural les)

  1. (feminine nouns) the

Champenois

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French la, from Latin illa. Cognate with French la, Bourguignon lai, Lorrain lai, Norman la, Occitan la and Occitan la.

Pronunciation

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IPA(key): /lɛ/

Article

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lai (masculine lou, plural les)

  1. (feminine nouns) the

Estonian

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Etymology

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From Proto-Finnic *lakja, originally from a Germanic source. Cognate to Finnish laaja, Livonian laiga.

Adjective

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lai (genitive laia, partitive laia, comparative laiem, superlative kõige laiem)

  1. wide, broad

Declension

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Declension of lai (ÕS type 22u/leib, length gradation)
singular plural
nominative lai laiad
accusative nom.
gen. laia
genitive laiade
partitive laia laiu
laiasid
illative laia
laiasse 		laiadesse
laiusse
inessive laias laiades
laius
elative laiast laiadest
laiust
allative laiale laiadele
laiule
adessive laial laiadel
laiul
ablative laialt laiadelt
laiult
translative laiaks laiadeks
laiuks
terminative laiani laiadeni
essive laiana laiadena
abessive laiata laiadeta
comitative laiaga laiadega

French

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Inherited from Middle French lai, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). More at lake. Alternatively from Celtic; compare Old Irish laíd (“poem”).

Noun

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lai m (plural lais)

  1. (historical) a mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance., with stanzas that do not repeat

Etymology 2

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Inherited from Old French lai, from Latin lāicus. Doublet of laïque.

Adjective

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lai (feminine laie, masculine plural lais, feminine plural laies)

  1. (archaic) lay (not clerical)
    Synonym: laïque
  2. Still used in the terms frère lai, sœur laie, which see.
    Synonym: convers

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Ido

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Noun

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lai

  1. plural of la

Istriot

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Noun

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lai

  1. side

Adverb

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lai

  1. here (this place)
    • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40:
      Vuoltite biunduleîna inverso lai,
      Turn around towards this place, little blonde,

Iu Mien

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Etymology

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From Proto-Hmong-Mien *-ʔræi (“vegetable”). Cognate with White Hmong zaub and Western Xiangxi Miao [Fenghuang] reib.

Noun

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lai 

  1. vegetable

Khasi

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Khasi cardinal numbers
 <  2 3 4  > 
    Cardinal : lai

Etymology

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From Proto-Khasian *laaj. Compare Pnar le, Lyngngam laj, War-Jaintia lɛ.

Pronunciation

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Numeral

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lai

  1. three

See also

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References

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  • Singh, U Nissor (1906) Khasi-English dictionary‎[2], Shillong: Eastern Bengal and Assam Secretariat Press, page 109. Searchable online at SEAlang.net.

Laboya

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Etymology

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From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laki. Cognate with Indonesian laki.

Noun

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lai

  1. husband

References

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  • Rina, A. Dj., Kabba, John Lado B. (2011) “lai”, in Kamus Bahasa Lamboya, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat [Dictionary of Lamboya Language, West Sumba Regency], Waikabubak: Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat, page 58
  • Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*laki”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Latvian

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Etymology

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Traditionally, lai is derived from the imperative form of the verb laist (“to allow, to permit”) (quod vide): laid → lai, an evolution reminiscent of Russian пускай (puskaj), пусть (pustʹ, “let, so be”) from пускать (puskatʹ, “to allow, to permit”). The form laid is indeed attested as a conjunction in the earliest sources. This view, however, has been recently criticized on the basis that Latvian lai, Lithuanian laĩ are clearly related to Old Prussian -lai, which is added to (usually infinitive) verbs to indicate volitive or conditional mood. This suggests a Proto-Baltic form *lai, probably related to the final -le of Latvian reinforcing particles jele ~ jel, nule, and (dialectal) nele, and to Old Prussian -le, apparently a variant of -lai. This *le would then have the same origin as Proto-Slavic *li (compare Polish li (“only”) Russian ли (li)), with cognates in other languages (Albanian, Tocharian) from a basic Proto-Indo-European *l-. After this criticism, the relationship between lai and laist has become unclear. Maybe Proto-Indo-European *l- was an old verb, or maybe laist was derived from an older particle.[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [laî]
  • Audio:(file)

Conjunction

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lai

  1. with the conditional, indicating purpose, sometimes cause; sometimes correlating with tāpēc, tādēļ in the main clause; so that, in order to, in order that
    lai varētu labāk pārredzēt apkārtni, bija jāuzkāpj tornī
    in order to be able to see the surroundings better, it was necessary to climb the tower
    kad viņa, laimīgi smiedamās, pacēla savu glāzi, lai saskandinātu ar viesiem, es noraudzījos ar klusu skaudību
    when she, laughing happily, lifted her glass, in order to clink glasses with the visitors, I watched with quiet envy
    gājējiem jāraugās, lai dēļa vaļējais gals neiesistu pa pieri
    the passers-by must be careful, so that the free end of the log does not hit them on the forehead
    apģērbam un apaviem jābūt ērtiem, lai tie netraucētu kustības
    clothes and shoes must be comfortable, so that they don't disturb (one's) movement
    kafiju nedrīkst vārīt, lai tā nezaudētu aromātu
    coffee should not be boiled, so that it doesn't lose its aroma
    es mācos tikai tāpēc, lai labāk noderētu lielajā cīņā
    I learn only so that I can serve better in the great fight
    studēt es gribu tikai tādēļ, lai pati vairāk zinātu un lai iegūtās zināšanas varētu atdot citiem
    I want to study only so that I will know more and so that the knowledge gained can be given to others
  2. indicating concession, especially in the combinations lai gan, lai arī; though, although, even though
    lai cīņas būs grūtas, mēs uzvarēsim
    though the fight will be difficult, we will win
    un, lai ļaudis sacījuši ko sacīdami, jaunā sieva katru sliktu vārdu atvairījusi
    and, although the people said what(ever) they wanted, the young wife deflected every bad word
    pēc teātra Vilis Virpuls palika uz deju, lai gan nekad nedejoja
    after the theater Vilis Virpuls stayed at the dance, even though he never danced
    viņš atbrauca ātri, lai gan ceļš bija slikts
    he came quickly, although the road was bad
    lai arī dārzs ir mazliet nolaists, tas tomēr ir skaists
    although the garden is a little neglected, it still is beautiful
  3. indicating strong concession, in combination with arī, nu, vai and with interrogative pronouns like cik, kāds, kurš, kas, kur; no matter how, which, who, what, where; however, wherever, whichever, whoever, whatever, wherever
    viņa bija viņam iedvesusi ticību, ka viņš skatīs sauli, lai arī cik grūti būtu pašreiz
    she had inspired in him the belief that he would look at the sun, no matter how difficult this would be now
    mēs visi būsim kopā, lai kā mums kuram ies
    we will all be together, no matter how it goes for us
    lai vai kā, es tomēr runāšu
    no matter how (= whatever happens), I will still speak
    lai kur kāds runā, viņš tūdaļ pretī ar savu
    wherever someone speaks, he immediately (goes) against him with his (words, opinions)
    lai nu tālu, tomēr kādos svētkos raudzīšu attikt
    however far (it may be), I will still try to be at the celebration
  4. after certain verbs, introducing a direct object clause; that, for ... to, to
    zīlītes vairs negaidīja, lai Ilzīte viņas baro
    the titmice no longer waited for Ilzīte to feed them
    nē, viņa lūdza, lai es apturu mašīnu
    no, she asked that I stop the car
    vai nevajadzētu paziņot, lai atbrauc viņa piederīgie?
    couldn't (you) have informed (us) that his people would come back?
    bērnu stomatoloģiskajā poliklīnikā galvenokārt rūpējas par to, lai zobi tiktu savlaicīgi salaboti
    in the children's dental clinic, one cares primarily that the (children's) teeth will be repaired in time
  5. indicating manner and/or purpose, usually correlating with an adverb like tā (“like that”) in the main clause; so that, such that, in such a way that
    runā, lai var ko saprast
    speak so that (= in such a way that) one can understand something
    lampu novietu tā, lai gaisma krīt no augšas un kreisās puses
    the lamp (is) placed in such a way that the light falls from the top and (from) the left side
    tu centies to pateikt saudzīgi, tā, lai mani nesāpinātu
    you try to say it gently, in such a way that it won't hurt me
  6. indicating consequence, especially with tik (“so (much)”), pārāk (“too much”) and an adjective or participle in the main clause; so that, so ... that, too (much) ... for, to, that
    pie debesīm stāvēja pusmēness, izplatīdams pietiekošu krēslu, lai celiņu uz riju varētu redzēt
    on the sky (there) was a half moon, spreading enough light (lit. dawn), so that one could see the little path to the barn
    aitas bijušas tik vājas, lai vējš apgāztu
    the sheep were so weak that the wind (would) turn them over
    zemnieki bija pārāk iebaidīti, lai nakts laikā rādītos ārpus mājām
    the peasants were too intimidated to show themselves outside during the night
    nebija vēl noadīti tik biezi cimdi, lai tagad, laukā braucot, nesaltu rokas
    (one) had not yet knit such thick gloves that, going out now, (one's) hands wouldn't freeze

Particle

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lai

  1. used to express an optative (wish) nuance: may, may it be that
    lai dabas spēkus gudrs cilvēks veic ― may the wise person lead the forces of nature
    lai visas dienas labus vārdus teic ― may all days bring (lit. say) good words
    lai viss sils izdegtu! ― may the whole (pine) forest burn!
    lai dzīvo! ― (long) may he live! hooray!
    tie ir trakāki par baroniem... velns lai viņus parauj!
    those (people) are crazier than the barons... may the devil take them!
  2. used to express encouragement, agreement: let
    ja tu, Zane, nevari, lai paliek šovakar govis neslauktas ― if you, Zane, can't (do it), let the cows remain unmilked tonight
    draugi mani atkal uzaicināja medībās: “labi”, es teicu, “lai notiek; bet pēdējo reizi!”
    friends invited me again to hunt: “OK,” I said, “let it happen (= I'll go); but (for) the last time!”
  3. used to mark third person imperative forms of verbs; sometimes used with the first person also: let
    “lai taču viņš iet”, Aina saka; “lai viņš iet, es arī neturēšu viņu, lai iet, lai iet”
    “but let him go,” Aina said, “let him go, I also won't keep him, let (him) go, let (him) go”
    lai vēlam putnam laimīgu lidojumu! ― let us wish the bird a happy flight!
  4. used to give a nuance of indecision or doubt, especially in a question should, could
    ko lai viņam saku, kādu padomu lai dodu? ― what should I say to him, what advice should I give?
    man vajadzīgs padoms; es nezinu, pie kā cita lai griežos
    I need advice; I don't know who else I could turn to (but you)
    es prasu zemei, kur meklēt lai eju ― I ask the earth, where should I go to look for (it)?
  5. (colloquial) used to add strength to a word or expression, to link it more tightly to the rest of the sentence
    Soklēns gribēja savus viesus uzjautrināt ar pajāšanos; segli lai bija iegādāti
    Soklēns wanted to cheer his guests up with some (horse) riding; the saddles were even ready (already)
    vasarā, kad būs āboli, vai tad nāksi ciemos? ar medu lai pacienāšu, jā?
    during the summer, when there will be apples, maybe then you will come visit? and I will also treat you with honey, yes?
  6. used to reinforce a word, highlighting it among others
    tūliņ svied tās meijas nost un meklē rīksti rokā! vai lopi līdz vakaram lai kūtī stāv?
    throw those boughs away right now and go get your rod! are the animals really going to stay in the barn till night?
  7. used, sometimes with nu or ir, to indicate tolerance of, or agreement with, someone else
    protams, mājās būs vēl nepatīkamāka saruna, to es zinu pavisam skaidri, bet lai!
    of course, at home there will still be an unpleasant talk, I know that very well, and how (= boy do I)!
    “lai nu, lai nu, Birkenbaum,” Grīntāls mierināja ― “OK, OK, Birkenbaum,” Grīntāls comforted (him)
    “esi gan tu muļķa meitene”, Karlīne zobojās; “a, lai ir!” Annele spītīgi atcirta
    “you are indeed a stupid girl,” Karlīne mocked; “ah, so be it!” Annele snapped angrily back
    lai jau būtu ― let it be, so be it

References

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  1. ^ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “lai”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎[1] (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN

Maia

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Noun

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lai

  1. beach

Malay

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Hokkien 梨 (lâi, “pear”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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lai (Jawi spelling لاي, plural lai-lai, informal 1st possessive laiku, 2nd possessive laimu, 3rd possessive lainya)

  1. pear

Further reading

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Mandarin

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Romanization

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lai

  1. Nonstandard spelling of lái.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of lǎi.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of lài.

Usage notes

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  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maroon Spirit Language

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Etymology

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From English lie.

Noun

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lai (plural lais)

  1. lie (intentionally false statement)

Old French

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Etymology 1

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From Latin lacus.

Noun

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lai oblique singular, m (oblique plural lais, nominative singular lais, nominative plural lai)

  1. pond, lake
  2. trench, ditch
  3. grave

Etymology 2

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Origin uncertain. Cognate with Occitan lais. Usually conjectured to be either of Germanic or Celtic origin. If from the former, probably from Frankish *laik (“game, sport, song, music”), related to Old High German leich (“song, melody, music”); if the latter, akin to Old Irish loíd, from Proto-Celtic *loydā, from Proto-Indo-European *leyd- (“to let, let go”), however the Oxford English dictionary calls a Celtic origin "out of the question".[1]

Noun

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lai oblique singular, m (oblique plural lais, nominative singular lais, nominative plural lai)

  1. lai (Medieval text)

Etymology 3

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From Vulgar Latin *laitus, from Frankish *laiþ (“hateful”).

Adjective

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lai m (oblique and nominative feminine singular laie)

  1. ugly
Descendants
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  • French: laid

References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “lay”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Old Irish

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Noun

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lai

  1. Alternative spelling of laí

Pnar

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Etymology

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From Proto-Khasian *la:j ~ *la:c. The expected reflex is *le. Cognate with Khasi leit.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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lai 

  1. to go

Romanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain. Several explanations exist. One derives it from Albanian ljaj, itself possibly from Latin flavus, but this is uncertain, and it may be that the Albanian is derived from Proto-Romanian (or Aromanian- compare the cognate laiu, lae in this language). Other theories suggest a Romanian root *gălai, from Latin galla or alternatively an etymology from labes (“fault, defect”), extending the meaning to "spot" and hence, "black" or "dark", but as it is a secondary meaning in Latin, this is not very likely. A more likely explanation may be a relation to the verb la (“to wash”), as lai is used mostly to describe the natural color of wool resulting from washing (compare the similar secondary senses of Spanish crudo, French écru). [1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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lai m or n (feminine singular laie, plural lăi)

  1. (popular) black (or black mixed with white), gray
    Synonyms: negru, brumăriu

Declension

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Declension of lai
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite lai laie lăi lăi
definite laiul laia lăii lăile
genitive/
dative 		indefinite lai lăi lăi lăi
definite laiului lăii lăilor lăilor

References

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  1. ^ lai in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Romansch

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Etymology 1

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From Latin lacus, from Proto-Italic *lakus, from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“lake, pool”).

Noun

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lai m (plural lais)

  1. lake
Alternative forms
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Etymology 2

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From Latin lectus.

Noun

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lai f (plural lais)

  1. (Vallader) marriage, matrimony
Alternative forms
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Vietnamese

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 騾 (“mule”, SV: la, loa).

Verb

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lai

  1. Short for lai giống (“to crossbreed”).

Adjective

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lai

  1. of mixed blood; crossbred
    con lai ― crossbred offspring/Amerasian/Eurasian/mestizo

Derived terms

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Derived terms

Etymology 2

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Noun

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lai

  1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hemline; turn-up

Etymology 3

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Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 釐 (“a weight unit”, SV: li).

Noun

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lai

  1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hundredth part of a tael (equal to 0.378 g)

Etymology 4

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Verb

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lai

  1. (Central Vietnam) to carry (someone) on one's bicycle or motorbike pillion; to give someone a lift on the bicycle or motorbike
  2. to tow

Etymology 5

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Noun

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(classifier cây) lai

  1. candlenut; candleberry (Aleurites moluccanus)

Anagrams

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Welsh

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Adjective

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lai

  1. Soft mutation of llai (“smaller”).

Mutation

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Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
llai lai unchanged unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Zhuang

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Etymology

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From Proto-Tai *ʰlaːjᴬ (“many; much”), from Old Chinese 多 (OC *[t.l]ˤaj) (B-S). Cognate with Thai หลาย (lǎai), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᩃᩣ᩠ᨿ, Lao ຫຼາຍ (lāi), Lü ᦜᦻ (l̇aay), Khün ᩉ᩠ᩃᩣ᩠ᨿ, Shan လၢႆ (lǎai), Bouyei laail, Saek หล่าย. Compare Jizhao laːi²¹.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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lai (Sawndip forms 𫯓 or 來 or 𡥧 or 𡃤, 1957–1982 spelling lai)

  1. many, much, a lot
    Antonym: noix

Derived terms

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Adverb

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lai (Sawndip forms 𫯓 or 來 or 𡥧 or 𡃤, 1957–1982 spelling lai)

  1. more
  2. comparatively; more
  3. too; exceedingly; very
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