English word origin

Etymology of dabai

Borrowed from Chinese 大白 (dàbái). Coined during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were ubiquitous in China.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 ↗

noun

An official of the Chinese government wearing a white biosafety suit.

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

Borrowed from Chinese 大白 (dàbái). Coined during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were ubiquitous in China.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mention大白zh

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": "大白"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Chinese 大白 (dàbái)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "大白",
      "大白#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An official of the Chinese government wearing a white biosafety suit."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "22df4fab3c037104bec0f3bc5afb2cbfa6fb34cbfbb936314b93c9e56c65c6cf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0723392cbbc30ec91e0890fa80ba76edccf6140654359ce3fe3ec3905e631794",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 342773
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Sarawak olive (Canarium odontophyllum)

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

Borrowed from Malay.

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": "ms:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Malay\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"ms\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dabai\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dabai\">\nBorrowed from Malay."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ms:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Malay."
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Sarawak olive (Canarium odontophyllum)"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e107fb9742e89ca6c5851a427cab03ccb241a670abce3b85a87c77ade559ef9d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a0eab817d0cb4fd7105256d5d92cb4851c8c93de936e8970728714c54ebb9bd7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 342774
    }
  ],
  "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 dabai →

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-ZGFiYWk