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Lai

//laɪ// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A Tibeto-Burman language of India and Burma.
  2. 2
    A surname from Chinese.
  3. 3
    A surname from Chinese.
Noun
  1. 1
    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. historical
  2. 2
    Initialism of leaf area index. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Lai Lai.

Etymology 3

From Chinese 賴／赖 (lài) (Mandarin: lài, Cantonese: laai⁶, Hakka: lai).

Etymology 4

From Cantonese 黎 (lai4).

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