lai
English
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: lie, lye
Noun
lai (plural lais)
- (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.
See also
lai on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
- -ial, Ali, IAL, LIA, ail, ali-
Aromanian
Alternative forms
- laiu
Etymology
Uncertain. Compare Romanian lai, Albanian ljaj.
Adjective
lai
- black
- (figurative) poor, miserable, unfortunate
- (figurative) wicked, bad
Synonyms
- (black): negru
- (poor, unfortunate): mãrat, curbusit, stuhinat, scurpisit, buisit, vãpsit
- (wicked, bad): arãu, slab, urut, cãtrãcearcu, afischcu, tihilai, blãstimat
Related terms
- lãeatsã
- lãiturã
- lãescu
- lãilji
Bourguignon
Etymology
From Latin illa.
Article
lai (masculine le or lou, plural les)
- (feminine nouns) the
Estonian
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)
- wide, broad
Declension
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | lai | laiad |
| genitive | laia | laiade |
| partitive | laia | laiu / laiasid |
| illative | laia / laiasse | laiadesse / laiusse |
| inessive | laias | laiades |
| elative | laiast | laiadest |
| allative | laiale | laiadele |
| adessive | laial | laiadel |
| ablative | laialt | laiadelt |
| translative | laiaks | laiadeks |
| terminative | laiani | laiadeni |
| essive | laiana | laiadena |
| abessive | laiata | laiadeta |
| comitative | laiaga | laiadega |
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɛ/
Etymology 1
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
lai m (plural lais)
- (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
From Old French lai, from Latin lāicus. Doublet of laïque.
Adjective
lai (feminine laie, masculine plural lais, feminine plural laies)
- lay (not clerical); only used in frères lais (“religious servants not (yet) having been admitted to the priestly dignity”)
Further reading
- “lai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- ail, lia
Ido
Noun
lai
- plural of la
Istriot
Noun
lai
- side
Adverb
lai
- 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,
- Vuoltite biunduleîna inverso lai,
- 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40:
Iu Mien
Etymology
From Proto-Hmong-Mien *-ʔræi (“vegetable”). Cognate with White Hmong zaub and Western Xiangxi Miao [Fenghuang] reib.
Noun
lai
- vegetable
Khasi
| < 2 | 3 | 4 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : lai | ||
Numeral
lai
- three
Laboya
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laki₁. Cognate with Indonesian laki.
Noun
lai
- 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
- Laboya in Austronesian Comparative Dictionary
Latvian
Etymology
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
- IPA(key): [laî]
| (file) |
Conjunction
lai
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
lai
- 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!
- 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!”
- 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!
- 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)?
- (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?
- 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?
- 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
- Karulis, Konstantīns (1992), “lai”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN
Maia
Noun
lai
- beach
Mandarin
Romanization
lai
- Nonstandard spelling of lái.
- Nonstandard spelling of lǎi.
- Nonstandard spelling of lài.
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.
Maroon Spirit Language
Etymology
From English lie.
Noun
lai (plural lais)
- lie (intentionally false statement)
Old French
Etymology 1
From Latin lacus.
Noun
lai m (oblique plural lais, nominative singular lais, nominative plural lai)
- pond, lake
- trench, ditch
- grave
Etymology 2
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 lóid, from Proto-Celtic *lûdi-, from Proto-Indo-European *lēw- (“to sound, resound, sing out”)[1], however the Oxford English dictionary calls a Celtic origin "out of the question".[2]
Noun
lai m (oblique plural lais, nominative singular lais, nominative plural lai)
- lai (Medieval text)
Etymology 3
From Vulgar Latin *laitus, from Frankish *laiþ (“hateful”).
Adjective
lai m (oblique and nominative feminine singular laie)
- ugly
Descendants
- French: laid
References
- MacBain, Alexander; Mackay, Eneas (1911), “laoidh”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Stirling, →ISBN
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “lay”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Old Irish
Noun
lai
- Alternative spelling of laí
Pnar
Etymology
From Proto-Khasian *la:j ~ *la:c. The expected reflex is *le. Cognate with Khasi leit.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /laj/
Verb
lai
- to go
Romanian
Alternative forms
- lău
Etymology
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
- IPA(key): /laj/
Adjective
lai m or n (feminine singular laie, plural lăi)
- (popular) black (or black mixed with white), gray
Declension
| 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 | |||
Synonyms
- negru
- brumăriu
References
- lai in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
Romansch
Etymology 1
From Latin lacus, from Proto-Italic *lakus, from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“lake, pool”).
Noun
lai m (plural lais)
- lake
Alternative forms
- (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan) lag
- (Sutsilvan) laitg
- (Puter) lej
Etymology 2
From Latin lectus.
Noun
lai f (plural lais)
- (Vallader) marriage, matrimony
Alternative forms
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran) lètg
- (Puter) alach
- (Sutsilvan) letg
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [laːj˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [laːj˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [laːj˧˧]
Etymology 1
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 騾 (“mule”, SV: la, loa).
Verb
lai
- Short for lai giống (“to crossbreed”).
Adjective
lai
- of mixed blood; crossbred
- con lai ― crossbred offspring/Amerasian/Eurasian/mestizo
Derived terms
- lai căng
- lai tạp
Noun
lai
- (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hemline; turn-up
Etymology 3
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 釐 (“a weight unit”, SV: li).
Noun
lai
- (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) hundredth part of a tael (equal to 0.378 g)
Verb
lai
- (Central Vietnam) to carry (someone) on one's bicycle or motorbike pillion; to give someone a lift on the bicycle or motorbike
- to tow
Noun
(classifier cây) lai
- candlenut; candleberry (Aleurites moluccanus)
Anagrams
- lia
Welsh
Adjective
lai
- Soft mutation of llai (“smaller”).
Mutation
| 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
Etymology
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
- (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /laːi˨˦/
- Tone numbers: lai1
- Hyphenation: lai
Adjective
lai (Sawndip forms 𫯓 or 來 or 𡥧 or 𡃤, 1957–1982 spelling lai)
- many, much, a lot
- Antonym: noix
Derived terms
- geijlai
- haujlai
Adverb
lai (Sawndip forms 𫯓 or 來 or 𡥧 or 𡃤, 1957–1982 spelling lai)
- more
- comparatively; more
- too; exceedingly; very