kai
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Maori kai, from Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.
Pronunciation
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
kai (uncountable)
- (New Zealand, informal) food
- 1995, Graeme Williams, The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
- Actually, I'm not sure I like these new hangis using the foil, it tends to stop the juices getting through to the stones and I reckon the hangi kai is drier to the palate.
- 2003, "RK", Maori TV (on newsgroup nz.general)
- i.e. they'll spend the first four hours enthusiastic as can be, then get bored, want some kai, go down to the local fish and chip shop & bottle store & spend the rest of the episode telling drunken stories of how they used to steal from the "pakeha that owned the store on the corner" and about days spent down at the social welfare office.
- 2003, "Carmen", Is there really a censor in NZ?! (on newsgroup nz.general)
- Got to go now and get some kai.
- 1995, Graeme Williams, The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ
Estonian
Declension
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | kai | kaid |
accusative | kai | kaid |
genitive | kai | kaide |
partitive | kaid | kaisid |
illative | kaisse | kaidesse |
inessive | kais | kaides |
elative | kaist | kaidest |
allative | kaile | kaidele |
adessive | kail | kaidel |
ablative | kailt | kaidelt |
translative | kaiks | kaideks |
terminative | kaini | kaideni |
essive | kaina | kaidena |
abessive | kaita | kaideta |
comitative | kaiga | kaidega |
Faroese
Etymology
Borrowed from Danish kaj, from Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kʰaiː/
- Rhymes: -aiː
Declension
Declension of kai | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
f2 | singular | plural | ||
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | kai | kaiin | kaiir | kaiirnar |
accusative | kai | kaiina | kaiir | kaiirnar |
dative | kai | kaiini | kaium | kaiunum |
genitive | kaiar | kaiarinnar | kaia | kaianna |
Finnish
Etymology
Probably shortened from kaiketi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkɑi̯ˣ/, [ˈkɑi̯(ʔ)]
- IPA(key): /ˈkɑi̯/, [ˈkɑi̯]
- Rhymes: -ɑi
- Hyphenation: kai
Guinea-Bissau Creole
Etymology
From Portuguese cair. Cognates with Kabuverdianu kai.
Hausa
Hawaiian
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian [Term?] (compare Maori tai), from Proto-Oceanic [Term?] (compare Fijian tai), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tasik.
Noun
kai
Interjection
kai
- my, how much!; how very! how terrific!
- kai ka nani! ― how beautiful!
- kai ke kolohe! ― oh, how mischievous!
Karajá
Usage notes
- This term is used in both women's and men's speech.
Derived terms
References
- Michael Dunn, Gender determined dialect variation, in The Expression of Gender (edited by Greville G. Corbett)
- David Lee Fortune, Gramática Karajá: um Estudo Preliminar em Forma Transformacional
Karelian
Lithuanian
Etymology
From Proto-Balto-Slavic *koi; compare Old Prussian kāi (“when”), Latvian kâ(i) (“when”), Old Church Slavonic цѣ (cě, “and also, besides”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoi; compare Ancient Greek ποῖ (poî, “whereto”). Perhaps ultimately the locative of Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, kʷis (“question particle”); see kas (“what”). Also, compare with tai (“that”).[1]
Pronunciation
- (conjunction): IPA(key): /kɐɪˑ/
- (particle): IPA(key): /kɐɪ/
Particle
kai (unstressed)
Derived terms
- kai kada
- kai kas
- kai katras
- kai koks
- kai kur
- kai kuris
References
- Derksen, Rick (2015) Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 217
Mandarin
Romanization
kai
Usage notes
- English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
Maori
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic *kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.
Related terms
- kaimoana
North Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian kēi. Cognates include West Frisian kaai.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).
Rapa Nui
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.
Derived terms
- patia kai
Southeastern Tepehuan
Etymology 1
From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *kapsi.
Derived terms
- kairam
Etymology 2
Cognate with Northern Tepehuan káídɨ, O'odham kai.
Verb
kai
- preterite of kaayaꞌ
References
- Willett, Elizabeth, et al. (2016) Diccionario tepehuano de Santa María Ocotán, Durango (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 48), electronic edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 100
Sundanese
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.
Tongan
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.