*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Lai

Borrowed from Lai Lai.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A Tibeto-Burman language of India and Burma.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Lai Lai.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "cnh:Lai",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Lai\", \"term\" : \"Lai\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"cnh\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Lai\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Lai\">\nBorrowed from Lai Lai."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "cnh:Lai",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Lai Lai."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lai",
      "Lai#Lai"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Tibeto-Burman language of India and Burma."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cf261545aa6a7b383911f8285d0fc39b164aabd94ae571b55dbb9e152e740fa5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b5abc274f183c272e4820101534f22759ced842648c0ab1dee35ce53176df909",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328469
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Chinese 賴/赖 (lài) (Mandarin: lài, Cantonese: laai⁶, Hakka: lai).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "賴"
      },
      "expansion": "賴/赖 (lài)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "賴",
      "賴#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "赖",
      "赖#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "df8877fd878749cdf005ee5337cc223f1dfcf818031fdab32b2feff7524e2ffe",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e8767633af1eff3166090d570b39f898e926a9c33e7f876dc8e594ba8fbef25b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328470
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Cantonese 黎 (lai4).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "黎",
        "tr": "lai4"
      },
      "expansion": "黎 (lai4)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "黎",
      "黎#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "5b21e81118449602d1e32a41590193eb83e2c7f7349a11705d6b4e8c740375a2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "51a8684e78309aa85dfa924664934113d3125c339a816c5bed64456961624c09",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328471
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Lai →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TGFp