English word origin

Etymology of Tai

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 邰 (Tái) and 斄 /𭤎 (Tái).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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 2

Original entry ↗

name

An ancient city and former polity under the Xia dynasty in present-day Wugong, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China. · A surname from Chinese.

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

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 邰 (Tái) and 斄 /𭤎 (Tái).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention邰zh

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-pinyin",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hanyu Pinyin"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "邰"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 邰 (Tái)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "邰",
      "邰#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "斄",
      "斄#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "𭤎",
      "𭤎#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient city and former polity under the Xia dynasty in present-day Wugong, Xianyang, Shaanxi, China.",
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

Alternative form of Dai.

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

From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 代 (dài).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention代zh

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-wadegiles",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Wade–Giles"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "代"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese 代 (dài)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "代",
      "代#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Dai."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

name

A surname.

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

From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin 戴 (Dài), as well as from its Cantonese pronunciation Daai³.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention戴cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn-wadegiles",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Wade–Giles"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "戴",
        "tr": "Dài"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 戴 (Dài)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "戴",
      "戴#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
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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 Tai →

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-VGFp