gai

See also: Gai, gái, gài, gãi, gāi, gǎi, and ga'i

Basque

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Probably from the suffix -gai, and not the other way round.[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡai̯/, [ɡai̯]

Noun

gai inan

material
matter, stuff
topic, subject

Declension

Declension of gai (inanimate, ending in vowel)
	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	gai	gaia	gaiak
ergative	gaik	gaiak	gaiek
dative	gairi	gaiari	gaiei
genitive	gairen	gaiaren	gaien
comitative	gairekin	gaiarekin	gaiekin
causative	gairengatik	gaiarengatik	gaiengatik
benefactive	gairentzat	gaiarentzat	gaientzat
instrumental	gaiez	gaiaz	gaiez
inessive	gaitan	gaian	gaietan
locative	gaitako	gaiko	gaietako
allative	gaitara	gaira	gaietara
terminative	gaitaraino	gairaino	gaietaraino
directive	gaitarantz	gairantz	gaietarantz
destinative	gaitarako	gairako	gaietarako
ablative	gaitatik	gaitik	gaietatik
partitive	gairik	—	—
prolative	gaitzat	—	—

Derived terms

gai izan (“to be capable of”)

References

“gai” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk

Catalan

Pronunciation

(Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaj/

Etymology 1

From Old Occitan gai. Compare Sicilian javiu.

Adjective

gai (feminine gaia, masculine plural gais, feminine plural gaies)

gay, merry
Synonyms: alegre, festiu

Derived terms

gaiament
gaia ciència
gai saber

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English gay.

Adjective

gai (masculine and feminine plural gais)

gay, homosexual

Noun

gai m (plural gais)

gay man

Cebuano

Etymology

Shortening.

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: ga‧i

Verb

gai

Short for tagai.

French

Etymology

From Old French gai, from Old Occitan gai, from Gothic *𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐍃 (*gaheis, “impetuous”)[1]; or from Frankish *gāhi (“fast, sudden, impetuous”), Frankish *wāhi (“pretty”)[2], both from Proto-Germanic *ganhuz (“lively, fast, quick”);

or (per Liberman, Chance, Meier) from Latin vagus (“wandering, inconstant, flighty”), with *[w] → [g] as in French gaine[3]. Doublet of vague in that case.

Cognate with English gay and Italian gaio.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡɛ/, /ɡe/
audio (file)
Homophones: gaie, gaies, gais, gay, gays, guet, guets
Rhymes: -ɛ

Adjective

gai (feminine gaie, masculine plural gais, feminine plural gaies)

cheerful; merry
gay; homosexual

Antonyms

sombre
triste

Derived terms

antigai
avoir la cuisse gaie
égayer
gai comme un pinson
gaiement
gaieté

Related terms

gaillard

Descendants

Louisiana Creole French: gé

References

Picoche, Jacqueline; Jean-Claude Rolland (2009), “gai”, in Dictionnaire étymologique du français (in French), Paris: Dictionnaires Le Robert
Dauzat, Albert; Jean Dubois, Henri Mitterand (1964) Nouveau dictionnaire étymologique (in French), Paris: Librairie Larousse
http://blog.oup.com/2012/02/word-origin-roots-gay/

Anagrams

agi

Irish

Noun

gai m (genitive singular gai, nominative plural gaethe)

Obsolete spelling of gae (“spear, dart; ray”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gai	ghai	ngai
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Italian

Adjective

gai

masculine plural of gaio

Anagrams

AGI, agi, agì, già

Japanese

Romanization

gai

Rōmaji transcription of がい

Mandarin

Romanization

gai

Nonstandard spelling of gāi.
Nonstandard spelling of gǎi.
Nonstandard spelling of gài.

Usage notes

English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Old French

Etymology

From Old Occitan gai.

Adjective

gai m (oblique and nominative feminine singular gaie)

happy; cheerful; gay

Descendants

Middle French: gay
- French: gai
→ Middle English: gay
- English: gay
- Yola: gaaye, gaay, gay, gai
→ Middle Dutch: gay
- Dutch: gei, gaai

Old Occitan

Etymology

Perhaps of Germanic origin and from Frankish *gahi, from Proto-Germanic *ganhuz (“quick, lively, fast”).

Adjective

gai m or f (plural gais)

happy; joyous
- circa 1145, Bernard de Ventadour, Lo gens tems de pascor:
  Per que tuih amador
  Son gai e chantador
  For all the lovers
  are joyous and full of song

Descendants

Occitan: gai
→ Old French: gai
- Middle French: gay
  - French: gai
- → Middle English: gay
  - English: gay
  - Yola: gaaye, gaay, gay, gai
- → Middle Dutch: gay
  - Dutch: gei, gaai
→ Old Portuguese: gai
- Galician: gaio
- Portuguese: gaio

Old Portuguese

Etymology

Probably from Latin gaudium (“joy”), as borrowed from Old Occitan gai;[1] alternatively of Germanic origin. Cognate with English gay and Italian gaio.

Adjective

gai

happy; joyous
- late 13rd century - early 14th century, Fernando Esquio, A un frade dizem escarallado:
  Cuid'eu que gai é, de piss'arreitado
  I believe he gets happy when his dick's erect

Descendants

Galician: gaio
Portuguese: gaio

References

Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991), “gayo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese galo and Spanish gallo.

Noun

gai

rooster

Rohingya

Noun

gai

cow

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ɣaːj˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ɣaːj˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ɣaːj˧˧]
Audio (Hà Nội) (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *t-keː. Cognate with Arem takeː ("horn"), Proto-Bahnaric *ʔəkɛː (whence Bahnar ake/hơke) and Proto-Katuic *kii, *ʔakii (whence Pacoh ki (“horn on nose, single tusk of rhino”)).

Alternative forms

(North Central Vietnam) cây

Noun

(classifier cái) gai • (𦃮 - 荄)

hemp-nettle
thorn
prickle
(Central Vietnam) pineapple

Derived terms

chông gai
gai góc
ngò gai

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *-keː (“ramie”).

Alternative forms

(North Central Vietnam) cây

Noun

(classifier cây) gai

ramie

Anagrams

gia

West Makian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɡa.i/

Verb

gai

(stative) to be dead

Conjugation

Conjugation of gai (stative verb)
		singular	plural
		singular	inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tigai	migai	agai
2nd person		nigai	figai
3rd person	inanimate	igai	digai
3rd person	animate	magai	digai
imperative		—, gai	—, gai

Alternative forms

gei

Derived terms

fagei (“to kill (of non-humans)”)
magei (“dead, to die”)

References

Dick Teljeur (1982) Short Wordlists from South Halmahera, Kayoa, Makian, Ternate, Tidore, and Bacan‎, Pacific linguistics
James Collins (1982) Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎, Pacific linguistics

Yola

Adjective

gai

Alternative form of gaaye

References

Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 40

Zhuang

Pronunciation

(Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /kaːi˨˦/

Tone numbers: gai¹

Hyphenation: gai

Etymology 1

From Chinese 街 (MC kˠɛ, kˠɛi, “street”). Cognate with Bouyei gaail. Compare Cantonese 街 (gaai1).

Noun

gai (Sawndip form 街, 1957–1982 spelling gai)

street

Etymology 2

From Proto-Tai *p.qaːjᴬ (“to sell”). Cognate with Thai ขาย (kǎai), Northern Thai ᨡᩣ᩠ᨿ, Lao ຂາຍ (khāi), Lü ᦃᦻ (ẋaay), Tai Dam ꪄꪱꪥ, Shan ၶၢႆ (khǎai), Ahom 𑜁𑜩 (khay), Bouyei gaail. Compare Proto-Kam-Sui *kwe¹ (“to sell”) (whence Sui beel).

Verb

gai (Sawndip forms 𰷔 or ⿰改賣 or ⿰賣亥 or 皆 or 該 or 开 or 𬻦 or ⿱夫⿰丿丨 or ⿰出卖 or ⿰卖该 or ⿲丶开丶, 1957–1982 spelling gai)

to sell
Synonym: siu
Antonym: cawx

Derived terms

baugai
baenzgai
bouxgai
cekgai
gaicawx
gaicek
gaigat
gaigvai
gaihux
gaihuq
gailengq
gailing
gaimued
gainet
gaisi
gaiswx
liebgai
ndeigai
okgai

[1] “gai” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk

[2] Picoche, Jacqueline; Jean-Claude Rolland (2009), “gai”, in Dictionnaire étymologique du français (in French), Paris: Dictionnaires Le Robert

[3] Dauzat, Albert; Jean Dubois, Henri Mitterand (1964) Nouveau dictionnaire étymologique (in French), Paris: Librairie Larousse

[4] ttp://blog.oup.com/2012/02/word-origin-roots-gay/

[5] Joan Coromines; José A. Pascual (1983–1991), “gayo”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

gai

Basque

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Catalan

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Noun

Further reading

Cebuano

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

References

Further reading

Anagrams

Irish

Noun

Mutation

Italian

Adjective

Anagrams

Japanese

Romanization

Mandarin

Romanization

Usage notes

Old French

Etymology

Adjective

Descendants

Old Occitan

Etymology

Adjective

Descendants

Old Portuguese

Etymology

Adjective

Descendants

References

Papiamentu

Etymology

Noun

Rohingya

Noun

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Noun

Anagrams

West Makian

Pronunciation

Verb

Conjugation

Alternative forms

Derived terms

References

Yola