chai

English

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

chai (plural chais)

1. A female gypsy.

   Coordinate term: chal

Alternative forms

• chie (obsolete)

Etymology 2

From Hindustani चाय / چائے (cāy), from Persian چای (and Turkish çay, and cognates) from Sinitic 茶 (chá). Doublet of tea; see that page for extended history.

Pronunciation

• enPR: chī, IPA^(key): /t͡ʃaɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ

Noun

chai (usually uncountable, plural chais)

1. Ellipsis of masala chai, a beverage made with black teas, steamed milk and sweet spices, based loosely on Indian recipes.
   • 2023, Santanu Bhattacharya, One Small Voice, Fig Tree, page 350:

     ‘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.

Synonyms

• chai latte, chai tea, masala chai

Related terms

• cha
• chai latte
• masala chai

Translations

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Hebrew חַי (kháy, “alive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

chai

2. (Judaism) A Jewish symbol representing life, traditionally worn as an amulet.
   • 1995 May 21, Steven Levy, “The Unabomber and David Gelernter”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Nothing hangs on the walls, though a stained-glass Hebrew chai leans against the window.

   • 2011 February 18, Mark Marino, “Kosher beef between two rappers”, in CNN‎, archived from the original on 1 February 2023:

     Today, he [Drake] wears a diamond-studded Chai, a symbol of the Jewish word for life, and has his mother pressuring him to marry "a nice Jewish girl," according to Heeb magazine.

Alternative forms

• Chai, Hai, hai

Etymology 4

Borrowed from French chai, from Occitan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɛ/

Noun

chai (plural chais)

2. (winemaking) A place above ground for storing wine casks.
   • 2004, Clive Coates, The Wines of Bordeaux, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 302:

     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.

References

Further reading

• chai on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• chai (symbol) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• AHCI, Achi, Chia, chia

Caló

Etymology

Inherited from Romani ćhaj.

Noun

chai f (plural chais)

1. girl
2. (antiphrastic) harlot, prostitute

References

• “chai” in J. Tineo Rebolledo, A Chipicalli (La Llengua Gitana), Granada: Gómez de la Cruz, 1900, →OCLC, page 32.
• “chai” in Francisco Quindalé, Diccionario gitano, Madrid: Oficina Tipográfica del Hospicio.
• “chai” in Vocabulario : Caló - Español, Portal del Flamenco y Universidad.

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtsɑi̯/,
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): chai

Noun

chai (colloquial)

1. (jargon) Clipping of chai latte (“chai latte”).

Declension

French

Etymology 1

Via English chai from Urdu چائے (cāe), Hindi चाय (cāy, “tea”).

Alternative forms

• chaï, tchaï

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃaj/

Noun

chai m (plural chais)

1. masala chai (a tea drink)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Occitan .

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɛ/
• Homophone: Chaix

Noun

chai m (plural chais)

1. wine cellar

   Synonym: cave à vin

   Mis en bouteille dans nos chais. ― Bottled in our wine cellars.

Further reading

• “chai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Hokkien

Jamaican Creole

Verb

chai

1. (Maroon Spirit Language) Carry.

Mandarin

Romanization

chai

1. Nonstandard spelling of chāi.
2. Nonstandard spelling of chái.
3. Nonstandard spelling of chǎi.
4. Nonstandard spelling of chài.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Navajo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

-chai (inalienable, e.g., shichai "my grandfather/grandson", bichai "her/his/their grandfather/grandson")

1. maternal grandfather, mother's father, grandson (from daughter), daughter's son

Norman

Alternative forms

• chaer (Guernsey)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

chai f (uncountable)

1. (France, Jersey) flesh

Swahili

Swahili Wikipedia has an article on:

chai

Wikipedia ^sw

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian چای (čāy)

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Noun

chai (n class, plural chai)

1. tea
2. (Tanzania) breakfast

   Synonyms: kiamsha kinywa, kifungua kinywa

3. (slang, Kenya) a small bribe, a petty bribe (likened to the cost, and function, of a cup of tea)

   Synonyms: rushwa, hongo, (Kenya) kitu kidogo

Derived terms

• chai ya rangi
• chai kavu
• mchai

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key):
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key):

Etymology 1

Noun

chai

1. bottle

   chai lẩu ― bottle of wine

Etymology 2

Compare Thai เจ (jee).

Verb

chai

1. to fast

   chai tón nâng ― to fast for one meal

Adjective

chai (⿻斋丷)

1. vegan, especially in the Buddhist style

   kin chai ― to go vegan

   否容易𫩒{⿻斋丷}地下

   Bấu doòng dỉ kin chai tỉ giả

   It's not easy to be a vegan on Earth.

2. in an ordinary, even lackluster, way

   kin khẩu chai ― to eat plain rice

3. old, specifically past something's developmental phase

   mảy khửn chai

   bamboo shoots that grow even when it's too old to grow

References

• Hoàng Văn Ma, Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Chí (2006) Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
• Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎ (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key):
• (Huế) IPA^(key):
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key):
• Homophone: trai

Noun

(classifier cái) chai • (𥑂)

1. a bottle
2. (slang) one million dongs

   Synonym: củ

Descendants

• → Tai Dam: ꪊꪱꪥ

Adjective

chai

1. (of skin) callous

   vết chai ― a callus

   bị chai tay ― to have calluses on one's hand

   chai sạn ― callous; apathetic

2. (of a battery) spent

   pin bị chai rồi ― the battery's no good anymore (won't hold a charge)

Anagrams

• chia

Ye'kwana

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Suffix

chai

1. Allomorph of tai used after words that end in i.
2. Allomorph of kwai used after words that end in i.