Ai Lao

See also: 'ailao

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 哀牢.

Always originally designated a state in Yunnan and Burma, which likely had no connection to Laos, it came to refer to the kingdom(s) of Lao people through phono-semantic matching of Lao ລາວ (lāo).

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔaːj˧˧ laːw˧˧]

Proper noun

Ai Lao

  1. (historical) Ailao, an ancient state in modern-day Yunnan province (of China) and Burma
  2. (obsolete) Laos
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