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in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Translingual
Symbol
mai
( international standards ) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Maithili .
English
Determiner
mai
( anime , manga , fandom slang , Internet slang ) Alternative form of my (used in the expressions mai waifu and mai husbando )
See also
Anagrams
AIM , AMI , I am , I'm a , I'm a' , I'm'a , I'm-a , I'ma , IAM , Ima , Ima' , MIA , Mia , aim , i'm'a , i'ma , ima , mia
Ajië
Pronunciation
Adjective
mai
far
References
Leenhardt, M. (1935 ) Vocabulaire et grammaire de la langue Houaïlou , Paris: Institut d'ethnologie . Cited in: "Houaïlou " in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R. , & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics . Evolutionary Bioinformatics , 4:271–283.
Leenhardt, M. (1946 ) Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie . Cited in: "Ajiø " in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R. , & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics . Evolutionary Bioinformatics , 4:271–283.
Aragonese
Etymology
From Latin mater, matrem .
Noun
mai f
mother
Aromanian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin Maius or Greek Μάιος ( Máios ) . Compare Romanian mai .
Noun
mai
May (month)
Atong (India)
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bodo-Garo *mai¹ ( “ rice; paddy; cooked rice ” ) , from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma-j ~ mej ( “ rice; paddy ” ) .
Noun
mai (Bengali script মায় or মাই )
rice
Etymology 2
From English May .
Alternative forms
Noun
mai (Bengali script মায় or মাই )
May
Synonyms
References
Bamwe
Noun
mai
water
Bangi
Noun
mai
water
Further reading
Comparative Handbook of Congo Languages (1903), page 176
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Latin magis .
Pronunciation
Adverb
mai
never
Antonym: sempre
No ho sabrem mai . ― We'll never know.
ever
Synonym: alguna vegada
Hi has vingut mai , a la festa major? ― Have you ever been to the major festival?
Derived terms
See also
Chuukese
Noun
mai
breadfruit
Dharug
Noun
mai
eye
Estonian
Etymology
From German Mai .
Noun
mai (genitive mai , partitive maid )
May
Declension
Synonyms
See also
(Gregorian calendar months ) Gregoriuse kalendri kuu ; jaanuar , veebruar , märts , aprill , mai , juuni , juuli , august , september , oktoober , november , detsember (Category: et:Months )
Faroese
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin (mensis) maius .
Noun
mai m
May ( month of the Gregorian calendar )
See also
(Gregorian calendar months ) januar , februar , mars , apríl , mai , juni , juli , august , september , oktober , november , desember (Category: fo:Months )
Fijian
Etymology
From Proto-Central-Pacific *mai , from Proto-Oceanic *maʀi , *mai , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi .
Verb
mai (always together with lako , , as lako mai )
( intransitive ) to come ( to move from further away to nearer to )
Preposition
mai
in
from
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French mai , from Latin (mēnsis) Maius .
Pronunciation
Noun
mai m (plural mais )
May ( month )
Derived terms
Descendants
Guianese Creole: mè
Haitian Creole: me
→ English: may
→ Iranian Persian: مه ( me )
Louisiana Creole: mê
→ South Azerbaijani: مه ( mə )
→ Tunisian Arabic: ماي ( mēy )
See also
(Gregorian calendar months ) mois du calendrier grégorien ; janvier , février , mars , avril , mai , juin , juillet , août , septembre , octobre , novembre , décembre (Category: fr:Months )
Further reading
Anagrams
Friulian
Etymology
From Latin magis .
Adverb
mai
never
Galician
Noun
mai f (plural mais )
Alternative form of nai
Gallo
Pronoun
mai
me
Garo
Pronoun
mai
what
Guinea-Bissau Creole
Etymology
From Portuguese mãe . Cognate with Kabuverdianu mai .
Noun
mai
mother
Hausa
Pronunciation
Noun
mâi m (possessed form mâin )
oil , fat , grease
gasoline , petrol
Derived terms
Hawaiian
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *mai , from Proto-Oceanic , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi .
Particle
mai
hither , this way , towards the speaker
Mai mai mai !
Come in, come in!
E hoʻolohe mai ana lākou i ka moʻolelo.
They were listening to the story.
Usage notes
Commonly used after verbs that do not need a directional in English.
Mai and aku may change the meaning of the verb:
aʻo mai ("to learn") - aʻo aku ("to teach")
kūʻai mai ("to buy") - kūʻai aku ("to sell")
Synonyms
Antonyms
Preposition
mai
from (used in the sequence mai ...mai or mai ...aku )
Verb
mai
don't Negative imperative followed by a verb
Mai makaʻu.Don't be afraid.
Hungarian
Etymology
ma + -i
Pronunciation
Adjective
mai (not comparable )
of today , today 's
Antonyms: régi , antik
a mai újság ― today’s newspaper
Declension
Further reading
mai in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh . A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz. ). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
Anagrams
Iban
Pronunciation
Verb
mai
to bring
Ingrian
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian май ( maj ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
May
1937 , N. S. Popova , translated by A. Kolesova, Arifmetiikan oppikirja alkușkouluja vart (toin osa) , Leningrad: Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 25 :Vooes ono 12 kuuta: janvari, fevrali, martti, apreli, mai , ijuuni, ijuuli, avgusta, sentjabri, oktjabri, nojabri i dekabri. In a year are 12 months: January, February, March, April, May , June, July, August, September, October, November and December.
Declension
Derived terms
References
Ruben E. Nirvi (1971 ) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja , Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 291
Istriot
Etymology
From Latin magis .
Adverb
mai
never ( not ever )
1877 , Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno , volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40 :Che mai pioûn biela duon i’iê veisto al mondo, That I haven’t ever seen a more beautiful woman in the world,
Italian
Etymology
From Latin magis .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈmaj/
Rhymes: -aj
Hyphenation: mài
Adverb
mai
never
ever , always
used as an intensifier
Una risposta quanto mai ambigua. An ambiguous answer indeed .
Dove mai si sarà cacciato? Where on earth did he end up?
Related terms
Anagrams
Japanese
Romanization
mai
Rōmaji transcription of まい
Rōmaji transcription of マイ
Kabuverdianu
Etymology
From Portuguese mãe .
Noun
mai
mother
Karelian
Regional variants of mai
North Karelian (Viena )
—
South Karelian (Tver )
mai
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian май ( maj ) .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈmɑi̯/
Hyphenation: mai
Noun
mai (genitive main , partitive maida )
( South Karelian ) May
Declension
Possessive forms of mai
1st person
maini
2nd person
mais
3rd person
maih
*) Possessive forms are very rare for adjectives and only used in substantivised clauses.
Synonyms
References
A. V. Punzhina (1994 ) “mai ”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects) ], →ISBN
Kaurna
Noun
mai
vegetable food , bush tucker
Kedah Malay
Etymology
From Proto-Malayic *mari , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi .
Pronunciation
Verb
mai
Come, present (at here), attend, be (here)
Hang nak gebang aku eh, kata nak mai , batang hidung pun tak nampak! You said that you're gonna come , but I didn't see you anywhere!
Depa mai ka dak ni; dah cemuih dah dok tang ni dok melangut ja. Have you seen them (present at here) , cause I am bored to death here, just doing nothing.
Interjection
mai
Come here! Here!
Mai la sat, aku seghighau satgi depa tabuh aku pulak.Please come with me for a second, I'm afraid that they might hit me.
"Mai la, hang dok takut pa, aku tak buat pa eh," kata Ali kepada kucingnya. "Come! What are you so afraid of? I'm not gonna do anything to you," says Ali to his cat.
Khumi Chin
Mai.
Etymology
From Proto-Kuki-Chin *maj , from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mej . Cognates include Tibetan མེ ( me ) and S'gaw Karen မ့ၣ် ( maỳ ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
fire
flame
Derived terms
References
R. Shafer (1944 ) “Khimi Grammar and Vocabulary”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London , volume 11 , number 2, page 423
K. E. Herr (2011 ) The phonological interpretation of minor syllables, applied to Lemi Chin , Payap University, page 44
Kikuyu
Etymology
Hinde (1904) records mai as an equivalent of English dung (cow's) in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also Kamba maii and Swahili mavi as its equivalents.
Pronunciation
Noun
mai class 6
shit , stool
Derived terms
( Proverbs )
See also
References
Kokborok
Etymology
From Proto-Bodo-Garo *mai¹ ( “ rice; paddy; cooked rice ” ) , from, Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma-j ~ mej ( “ rice; paddy ” ) . Cognate with Garo mi , Atong (India) mai .
Noun
mai
rice
paddy
References
Debbarma, Binoy (2001 ) “mai”, in Concise Kokborok-English-Bengali Dictionary , Language Wing, Education Department, TTAADC, →ISBN , page 78
Leonese
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
mai f
mother
References
Malay
Pronunciation
Verb
mai (Jawi spelling ماي )
( dialectal ) to come ( to move from further away to nearer to )
Related terms
References
Mandarin
Romanization
mai
Nonstandard spelling of mái .
Nonstandard spelling of mǎi .
Nonstandard spelling of mài .
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.
Maori
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *mai , Proto-Oceanic , Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi .
Adverb
mai
hither
Mbandja
Noun
mai
water
References
Murui Huitoto
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Adverb
mai
Used to form hortatives of verbs ; let's
Mai jaai! ― Let's go!
References
Shirley Burtch (1983 ) Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20) (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 171
Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017 ) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia. , Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 144
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Maius , after Maia .
Noun
mai (indeclinable )
May ( fifth month of the Gregorian calendar )
See also
(Gregorian calendar months ) månad i den gregorianske kalenderen ; januar , februar , mars , april , mai , juni , juli , august , september , oktober , november , desember (Category: no:Months )
References
“mai” in The Bokmål Dictionary .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Maius , after Maia .
Noun
mai (indeclinable )
May ( fifth month )
References
“mai” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .
Occitan
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old Occitan mai , from Latin magis .
Adverb
mai
( Provençal , Vivaro-Alpine , Languedoc ) but
( Provençal , Vivaro-Alpine , Languedoc , Auvergne , Limousin ) more
Synonym: pus
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Latin (mensis) Maius .
Noun
mai m (plural mais )
May ( month )
Pitjantjatjara
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
food ( especially non-meat food; sometimes used for food in general )
plant used for food
Rapa Nui
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *mai , from Proto-Oceanic , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi .
Preposition
mai
from , since
Romanian
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic маи ( mai ) , from Koine Greek Μάϊος ( Máïos ) , from Latin (mensis) Maius . Less likely a direct derivation from Latin.
Noun
mai m (uncountable )
May
Synonym: ( popular/folk name ) florar
Etymology 2
Inherited from Latin magis .
Adverb
mai
more
Usage notes
This word regards degree rather than number, for which a form of the word mult should be appended.
mai ușor ― easier (literally, “more easy ”)
mai fericit ― happier (literally, “more happy ”)
mai multă fericire ― more happiness
mai mulți băieți ― more boys
Etymology 3
Inherited from Latin malleus ( “ hammer ” ) .
Noun
mai n (plural maiuri )
mallet , maul , sledgehammer , rammer , club
Declension
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Hungarian máj .
Noun
mai n (plural maiuri ) ( Moldavia (region), Transylvania , Bukovina , Maramureș )
liver
Synonym: ficat
Declension
See also
(Gregorian calendar months ) lună a calendarului gregorian ; ianuarie , februarie , martie , aprilie , mai , iunie , iulie , august , septembrie , octombrie , noiembrie , decembrie (Category: ro:Months )
Romansch
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin (mensis) Maius ( “ of May ” ) .
Proper noun
mai m
( Vallader ) May
Tagalog
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /maˈʔi/ ,
Hyphenation: ma‧i
Noun
maí (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜁ ) ( obsolete )
word loaded with meaning
Synonym: wikang malaman
may maing salita ― has a word loaded with meaning
See also
Further reading
Ternate
Pronunciation
Adverb
mai
even
botoboto mai ioho, lado mai ioho ― they even ate grasshoppers, they even ate eels
ngofa-ngofa amoi ua mai kado ― not even one child came
ngori pipi cabu mai ua ― I have no money at all (literally, “my money, even a little is not ”)
References
Rika Hayami-Allen (2001 ) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia , University of Pittsburgh
Tetum
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi , compare Malay mari .
Verb
mai
to come
Tocharian B
Particle
mai
perchance
Tokelauan
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *mai . Cognates include Hawaiian mai and Samoan mai .
Pronunciation
Preposition
mai
from
1948 , Tūlāfono fakavae a Tokelau [Constitution of Tokelau ] , page 1:Mai te kāloā, ko nā tālaaga ki nā fenua o Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo, ma Olohega na fauhia kē fai ma o matou kāiga.From the ancient times, of the tales, the islands of Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo and Olohega You created together, as our home.
Particle
mai
Indicates the motion of the action of the preceding verb towards the speaker ; towards , to
Antonyms
References
R. Simona, editor (1986 ), Tokelau Dictionary , Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 199
Uneapa
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *mai , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi , from Proto-Austronesian *um-aʀi .
Pronunciation
Verb
mai
to come
Further reading
Ross, Malcolm D. (2003 ) Andrew Pawley, editor, The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: Volume 2, The Physical Environment , Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN , →OCLC ; republished as Meredith Osmond, editor, (Please provide a date or year)
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
For the connection between "first part of the day" and "day after this one", compare Germanic equivalents such as English morn (ning) and morrow , Dutch morgen , Romance ones such as French demain and Italian domani , and Japanese 明日 and 朝 ( ashita ) .
Noun mai • (埋 , 𣈕 , 𪰹 )
early morning
( colloquial ) Short for ngày mai ( “ tomorrow ” ) .
the hair in front of a person's ears , sideburns
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Sino-Vietnamese word from 梅 ( “ Chinese plum ” ) .
Noun
(classifier cây , bông , hoa ) mai • (枚 , 梅 )
Ochna integerrima , a tree species (sometimes shrub) of the family Ochnaceae , sometimes called apricot in English
1999 , Lê Trung Vũ and Lê Hồng Lý, Lễ hội Việt Nam , Văn hoá Thông tin, page 357
Ngày xưa kỳ thi Hội chọn lấy đỗ Tiến sĩ được tổ chức vào mùa xuân, cùng với dịp hoa mai nở. In times of old, the ceremony of selecting Imperial Examination laureates was organized in spring, to coincide with the blooming of the apricot trees.
Etymology 3
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
(classifier cái ) mai • (𨨦 )
( of crabs, turtles and tortoises ) shell
Etymology 4
Cognate with Muong Bi bai .
Noun
(classifier cái ) mai • (鋰 )
a kind of shovel
Etymology 5
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 媒 ( SV : môi ) .
Noun mai • (䋦 )
( Southern Vietnam ) matchmaker
Votic
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian май ( maj ) .
Pronunciation
( Luutsa, Liivtšülä ) IPA (key ) : /ˈmɑi̯/ ,
Rhymes: -ɑi̯
Hyphenation: mai
Noun
mai
May
Inflection
References
Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012 ) “mai ”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language ], 2nd edition, Tallinn
Welsh
Etymology
From mae ( “ it is ” ) .
Pronunciation
Conjunction
mai
( formal and North Wales colloquial ) that ( introduces a noun clause, marking it for emphasis )
Mae’n dweud mai athro yw ef. ( formal ) He says that he is a teacher.
Mae o’n deud mai athro ’dy o. ( North Wales, colloquial ) He says that he is a teacher.
2012 April 27, “Uchafbwynt Uwchgynghrair Rygbi”, in BBC Cymru Fyw :Byddai buddugoliaeth i Bontypridd yn sicrhau mai nhw fydd yn gorffen y tymor ar frig y tabl. Victory for Pontypridd would ensure that they finish the season at the top of the table.
Synonyms
( South Wales, colloquial ) taw
See also
West Makian
Etymology
Cognate with Ternate mari ( “ stone ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
stone
References
James Collins (1982 ) Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary , Pacific linguistics
Clemens Voorhoeve (1982 ) The Makian languages and their neighbours , Pacific linguistics (as may )
Yola
Verb
mai
Alternative form of mye
1867 , CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , page 114 , lines 21-23 :Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam, The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,
References
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland , London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867 , page 114
Zou
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
face
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Noun
mai
pumpkin
References
Lukram Himmat Singh (2013 ) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou , Canchipur: Manipur University, page 45