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Chai
Definitions
- 1 A surname.
- 1 A female Romani.
- 2 Ellipsis of masala chai, a beverage made with black teas, steamed milk and sweet spices, based loosely on Indian recipes. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable, usually
"‘So much for making chai,ʼ she teases, but lets him do the rest of the work. He adds the tea leaves to the boiling milk, then strains the liquid into cups."
- 3 A Jewish symbol representing life, traditionally worn as an amulet. Judaism
"Nothing hangs on the walls, though a stained-glass Hebrew chai leans against the window."
- 4 A place above ground for storing wine casks.
"The Kanon era lasted a mere 10 years, yet he had the château constructed, invested substantially in the vineyard and chais, and established the wine as one of the leading labels in the area."
- 5 Russian tea. rare, uncountable
"They say in New York that the aristocracy of the Back Bay can talk nothing but Tolstoi and drink nothing but chai (Russian tea)."
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- 6 Alternative letter-case form of chai (“Jewish symbol”). alt-of
- 7 Any tea beverage, but especially milk tea, regardless of whether it is spiced. India, uncountable, usually
"We were drinking some chai — the ashram version — watered down, boring, no spices, lots of water, just a smidgen of tea and even less milk."
Etymology
Borrowed from Romani ćhaj (“Romani girl, daughter”).
From Hindustani चाय / چائے (cāy, “tea”), from Classical Persian چَای (čāy) (and Turkish çay, and cognates) from Sinitic 茶 (chá). Doublet of cha and tea; see that page for extended history.
Borrowed from Hebrew חַי (kháy, “alive”).
Borrowed from French chai, from Occitan.
From Russian чай (čaj, “tea”). Doublet of cha and tea.
Borrowed from Mandarin 柴 (Chái), Mandarin 翟 (Zhái), Hakka 蔡 (Chhai), etc.
See also for "chai"
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