lai

Alternative forms

• lay

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /laɪ/
• Rhymes: -aɪ
• Homophones: Leigh, lie, lye

Noun

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.

Anagrams

• -ial, Ali, IAL, LIA, ail, ali-

Alternative forms

• laiu

Etymology

Uncertain. Compare Romanian lai, Albanian ljaj.

Adjective

lai

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

Alternative forms

• lei

Adverb

lai

1. (Austria, Tyrol) only, just

Etymology

From Latin illa.

Article

lai (masculine le or lou, plural les)

1. (feminine nouns) the

Etymology

Inherited from Old French la, from Latin illa.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /lɛ/

Article

lai (masculine lou, plural les)

1. (feminine nouns) the

References

• Daunay, Jean (1998) Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne)‎ (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
• Baudoin, Alphonse (1885) Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux‎ (in French), Troyes

Etymology

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

Adjective

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

1. wide, broad

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛ/

Etymology 1

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”).

Etymology 2

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

Further reading

• “lai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• ail, lia

Noun

lai

1. plural of la

Noun

lai

1. side

Adverb

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,

Etymology

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

Noun

lai 

1. vegetable

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laːj/

Numeral

lai

1. three

See also

• 'lai

References

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

Etymology

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

Noun

lai

1. husband

References

• 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