Meanings
lai1
- historicalA 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.
To poetry and music, indeed, the whole Celto-Cymric race seem to have been strongly addicted; and, independently of the materials which Brittany may have supplied for the history of Geoffrey of Monmouth, many other true or romantic adventures were narrated by the Breton poets in their Lais.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 419
Lai2
- A Tibeto-Burman language of India and Burma.
Lai3
Lai4
LAI5
- abbreviationinitialismInitialism of leaf area index.
Origin
lai · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-“to jump, spring, play”
- Proto-Germanic*laikaz
- Frankish*laik, *laih“play, melody, song”
- Old Frenchlai“song, lyric, poem”
- Middle Englishlai
- Englishlai
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Frankish
Full word history & related roots →Lai · proper noun
- cnhLai
- cnhLai
- EnglishLai
Borrowed from Lai Lai.
More words from cnh
Full word history & related roots →Lai · proper noun
From Chinese 賴／赖 (lài) (Mandarin: lài, Cantonese: laai⁶, Hakka: lai).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish lai
- laiform of lyrical, narrative poem
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lai
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lai
“lai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lai. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lai,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lai.
Source: lai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.