vai

From English Vai.

vai

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Vai.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Vai terms

• VAI

vai

1. (grammar) Initialism of verb animate intransitive: an intransitive verb that agrees with an animate subject.

• vii
• vta
• vti

Transliteration of Bengali ভাই (bhai). Doublet of bhai; see there for more doublets.

vai (plural vais) (Bangladesh, West Bengal, chiefly Benglish)

1. Alternative spelling of bhai.

• A-IV, AIV, AVI, Avi, IVA, Iva, Via, avi, avi-, via, viâ

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)
• Anuta: a Polynesian outlier in the Solomon Islands (1973)
• Oral Traditions of Anuta: A Polynesian Outlier in the Solomon Islands (1998)

• vuai

From Latin hodie. Compare Friulian vuê.

vai

1. today

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Central Pacific *vai, from Proto-Oceanic *paʀi, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *paʀih (compare Javanese pe, Tagalog pagi), from Proto-Austronesian *paʀiS.

vai

1. ray (marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail)

• → Fiji Hindi: paai

• Gatty, Ronald (2009) “vai”, in Fijian-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 288

From Proto-Finnic *vai. Probably ultimately from the same root as vajaa, possibly by analogy with tai.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯/, [ˈʋɑ̝i̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): vai
• Hyphenation^(key): vai

vai

1. (coordinating, in question clauses) or (exclusive or; either what comes before or what comes after)

   Synonym: vaiko (emphatic)

   Onko se suuri vai pieni?

   Is it big or small?

• While it is often said that tai is to be used in affirmative clauses and vai is to be used in question clauses, a more precise difference is that while both can be used in question clauses, tai is an inclusive or, while vai is an exclusive or. For instance, while Söitkö sinä leivän tai hedelmät? and Söitkö sinä leivän vai hedelmät? are both correct, the former asks in a yes or no question, whether you ate either bread or fruit or not, while the latter asks which you ate, the bread or the fruit.

• tai

vai (colloquial)

1. (interrogative adverb) is that so? or what?

   Tulee vai?

   Oh, [he/she/it] is coming?

• “vai”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 4 July 2023

• AVI, avi, iva, via

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Latin vādit (See vādō, vādere.) Usurped expected ed or í, from īt, third person singular of eō, īre

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaj/ [ˈba̠j]
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: vai

vai

1. goes; inflection of ir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

   É a rapaza a que vai ao monte con ovellas e cabras

   It is the girl who goes to the mountain with sheep and goats

2. inflection of ir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “ir”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “ir”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “ir”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “vai”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

• IPA^(key): /va.ˈi/

vai

1. ugly, unsightly
2. bad, evil, unpleasant

• (che) chevai
• (nde) ndevai
• (ha'e) ivai
• (ñande) ñandevai
• (ore) orevai
• (peẽ) pendevai
• (ha'ekuéra) ivai

From Proto-Finnic *vai. Cognate with Finnish vai and Estonian või.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯/, [ˈʋɑi̯]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯/, [ˈʋɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi̯
• Hyphenation: vai

vai

1. or
   • 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa) [Geography: textbook for Ingrian elementary school third grade (first part)], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 6:

     Kummaas poolees oppilapsist ovat ikkunat - oikiaas vai kuras?

     On which side of the students are the windows - on the right or on the left?

   • 1936, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 12:

     Onko se niin vai ei oo?

     Is that so or isn't it?

2. Used to introduce polar questions, especially rhetorical ones.
   • 1916, Volmari Porkka, “1576. [Soikkola]. III443b”, in Väinö Salminen, V. Alava, editor, Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot. Länsi-Inkerin runot‎^[4], volume III2, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, lines 16-18:

     Itse käin kyselömmää: // »Mitä vessät velvyeen, // Vai vessät sotivennooja?»

     Myself I started to ask him: // »What are you carving, my brother dear, // Are you carving a warship?»

   • 1937, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (toin osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 86:

     Vai siis siulle syyvvä, juuvva ei annettu?

     Then they didn't give you anything to eat, to drink?

   • 1937, N. A. Iljin, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (kolmas osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 46:

     Hää mörnää: „Mitä lykit siä?
     Vai maistaa tahot pleettiä?“

     He shouts: „Why are you pushing?
     Do you want to taste the whip, perchance?“

• (or): ehki, tali, (folk poetic) eli

• vaa (“only; but”)

• V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[5], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 136
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 630
• Olga I. Konkova, Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014) Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎^[6], →ISBN, page 79

• IPA^(key): /ˈvaj/
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: vài

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• va' (imperative)

vai

1. inflection of andare:
   1. second-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

vai

1. inflection of vaiare:
   1. second-person singular present indicative
   2. first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive
   3. third-person plural imperative

• -avi, -iva, IVA, Iva, avi, via

Borrowed from Livonian vȯi or dialectal Estonian vai; compare other Finnic languages (Finnish vai, Standard Estonian või). First found occasionally in Latvian writings in the 17th century, initially as a conjunction, then as a particle, it became more frequent in the 18th century; but only in the 19th century did it really strike root in the language.^[1] Likely unrelated to Sanskrit वा (vā).

IPA^(key): [vài]

vai

1. used to indicate a disjunction between two elements; or (in the either-or sense, not in the sense of a.k.a., which is jeb).

   atbildi: jā vai nē! ― answer: yes or no!

   viņa nezināja, ko pirkt: rozes vai neļķes ― she didn't know what to buy: roses or carnations

2. used to suggest vagueness, uncertainty, or a veiled threat; usually followed by ellipsis (...); or, or else...

   ja labi grib, to darbu var veikt parasts dežurants, vai brigadieris, vai (...) ― if (he) really wants, an ordinary man on duty can do this job, or a brigadier, or... (= or someone like that)

   vai tas kāds noziegums, kauns, vai? — is this a crime, a shame, or what?

   jums tas jādara, vai... ― you all have to do this, or else...

3. used to introduce conditional subordinate clauses; whether, if

   nav zināms, vai to darījis viņš ― it is not known whether he did it

   es nezinu, vai to spēšu ― I don't know if I will be able to

   pasaki, vai es esmu nodevējs ― tell me if I am a traitor

• jeb

vai

1. interrogative particle, used in either-or questions

   vai tu runā latviski? ― do you speak Latvian?

   vai tu dzirdi? ― do you hear? are you listening?

vai m (invariable)

1. the word vai itself; also, implicitly, a question

   cits pēc cita nāca tik daudzi vai, ka viņa nevarēja ilgāk izturēt ― so many vai's (= questions) came one after the other that she couldn't stand it any longer

From Proto-Indo-European *way- (“oh!, ah!; woe!, alas!”). Cognates include Lithuanian vái, vai̇̃, Old High German wē, Old English wā, Latin vae, German weh, English woe.^[1]

IPA^(key): [vāī], IPA^(key): [vài], IPA^(key): [vaî] (depending on situational intonation)

vai

1. used to express emotional responses: excitement, surprise, pain, fear, sorrow, irritation, etc.

   vai, ko es daru! ― oh! what am I doing!

   vai, kāds jūs līks izskatāties! ― boy, look at you! what a sight!

   vai, vai, Ilma, vai, tev tikai nauda prātā! ― oh come on, Ilma, you only think about money!

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑi̯/
• Hyphenation: va‧i

vai

1. or
   • 2018, Tatjana Boiko, Lʹudmila Markianova, Suuri Venʹa-Karjalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Russian-Karelian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 3rd edition, →ISBN, page 118:

     Kuulet vai et kuule?

     Can you hear or not?

   • 2018, Tatjana Boiko, Lʹudmila Markianova, Suuri Venʹa-Karjalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Russian-Karelian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 3rd edition, →ISBN, page 118:

     lähtet vai et lähte?

     Will you go or not?

2. if
   • 2019, Tatjana Boiko, Suuri Karjal-Venʹalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Karelian-Russian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 2rd edition, →ISBN, page 311:

     Et vai tulle, suutun.

     If you don't come, i'll get angry.

vai

1. only
   • 2019, Tatjana Boiko, Suuri Karjal-Venʹalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Karelian-Russian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 2rd edition, →ISBN, page 311:

     Nenga tansie voijah vai harvat.

     Only a few can dance like this.

• (or): libo
• (if): gu, ku
• (only): vaiku

• Tatjana Boiko (2019) Suuri Karjal-Venʹalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Karelian-Russian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 311
• Tatjana Boiko, Lʹudmila Markianova (2018) Suuri Venʹa-Karjalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Russian-Karelian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 3rd edition, →ISBN, page 118

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

vai

1. or

From Portuguese vai, from Old Galician-Portuguese vai, and also the third-person singular present indicative inflection of ir. Sense 2 is a semantic loan from Cantonese 去.

vai

1. to go

   Êle nádi vai ― He will not go

   Já vai sim falâ co iou ― He left without talking to me

2. (before a verb) to go in order to do something

   Iou vai olâ si têm

   I'll see if there is any

   (literally, “I go to see if there is”)

   Chomâ iou vai tambâ tacho? Nádi!

   Invite me to fill in for somebody who can't go? No way!

   (literally, “Call me to go repair pan? No way!”)

   Beto logo buscâ iou vai tifinâ

   Beto will find me to go have lunch

• Sense 2 is especially common when Macanese write using Cantonese-influenced syntax.

• … vai … vêm

• https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Edward Tregear, A Dictionary of Mangareva (or Gambier Islands) (1899)
• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• ABVD

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Niue Language Dictionary (University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1997, →ISBN)

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Borrowed from Finnish vai.

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈvaj/

vai

1. or (in questions, for mutually exclusive possibilities)
2. so that

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[7], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

vai

1. imperative of vaie

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Vern Carroll, An outline of the structure of the language of Nukuoro (1965)
• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. water

• A Grammar of Vaeakau-Taumako (2011, →ISBN

• vae (pre-reform spelling)
• vay (obsolete)

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese vai, from vādit (present indicative), Latin vāde (imperative). Cognate with Galician vai and Spanish va.

• (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): [ˈbaj]
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: vai

vai

1. inflection of ir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Te Pukamuna | Pukapuka Dictionary

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Probably an expressive creation. Similar words are found in many other languages, especially Indo-European. Compare Latin vae, Albanian vaj, Italian guai, Sicilian vai, Spanish ay, Ancient Greek οὐαί (ouaí), English woe.

• IPA^(key): /vaj/

• Audio:

  (file)

vai

1. alas, woe

• văita

From Proto-Rukaic *vaʔi, from Proto-Austronesian *waʀi (“day; sun”).

vai

1. sun
2. day

vai

1. sunny

• “vai”, in 原住民族語言線上辭典 [Online Dictionary of Aboriginal Languages] (in Mandarin), Taipei: Foundation for Research and Development of Aboriginal Languages, 2014

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. crake

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *wai (“expression of grief”).^[1] Alternatively from Ancient Greek οὐαί (ouaí), from the verse in Revelation 8:13. Compare English woe, German Weh, Latin vae, Italian guai.

• IPA^(key): /ˈva.i/
• Hyphenation: và‧i

vai (only plural)

1. troubles, problems, hardship, misfortune
2. (interjection) trouble, difficulty, mess, pickle, fix, woe, jam

   Minchia di vai! ― That's a fucking trouble!

Derived from Latin vādō. More at Sicilian jiri.

• va', vâ, vô, 'o

• IPA^(key): /ˈva.i/
• Hyphenation: và‧i

vai

1. inflection of jiri:
   1. second-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ. Mostly displaced by pape because of tapu by association with names of certain royalty.^[1]

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

   Synonym: pape

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Compare Maori wai.

vai

1. who

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Raymond Firth, Mervyn McLean, Tikopia Songs: Poetic and Musical Art of a Polynesian People (1990)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai. Cognates include Hawaiian wai and Samoan vai.

• IPA^(key): [ˈva.i]
• Hyphenation: va‧i

vai

1. water
2. vessel for water
3. medicine

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[8], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 417

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

• IPA^(key): /va.i/

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. lake

• (lake): vaitūloto

• An Introduction to Tuvaluan (1999, →ISBN

From Proto-Oceanic *pai.

• IPA^(key): /βai/

vai

1. to weave

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

vai

1. or

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “или, либо”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[9], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

• (North Central Vietnam) ban

Attested as Northern Middle Vietnamese ꞗĕai, ꞗai in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects.

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 多埋 (MC ta meaj) (modern SV: đa mai).

Compare Proto-Katuic *ʔapaal (“shoulder”) (whence Pacoh apal).

Some North Central dialects have the form ban with unlenited ‹b› (vs. mainstream form with lenited ‹v›) and ‹-n› reflex of earlier *-l.

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧] ~ [jaːj˧˧]

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

vai • (𣘾, 𦠘, 𦢳)

1. (anatomy) shoulder
2. (television, film, theater) role; part

   vai chính ― a main/lead role

   vai phụ ― a supporting role

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑi̯/, [ˈvɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi̯
• Hyphenation: vai

vai

1. or

vai

1. oh, (so)... (mainly to start interrogative clauses)

• Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “vai”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn