*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of wai

Borrowed from Thai ไหว้ (wâi, “a gesture of thanks”).

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

A Thai greeting wherein the palms are brought together in front of the face or chest, sometimes accompanied with a bow.

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

Borrowed from Thai ไหว้ (wâi, “a gesture of thanks”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "th",
        "3": "ไหว้",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a gesture of thanks",
        "tr": "wâi"
      },
      "expansion": "Thai ไหว้ (wâi, “a gesture of thanks”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ไหว้",
      "ไหว้#Thai"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Thai greeting wherein the palms are brought together in front of the face or chest, sometimes accompanied with a bow."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cb916cb4ca677fc3f10e748c8cda02bf45c3d698d29b1fc399d740c44b858c56",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d3aa4b396a8cfb9f832d0543c63473657d24d00f17c48dbd6a1efad744a99510",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 197919
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adv

why (a purposeful misspelling)

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

Phonetic respelling of why.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "why",
      "why#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "why (a purposeful misspelling)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "421fe7690edea3eda86c5b5c8ce9a2b1755e3b3bbd5024fcd8d871b3aa1b6d84",
      "rawRecordSha256": "019cc22295e995fad1b88f4292e8116a477c1be94a78b3c0c98df25154804829",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 197920
    }
  ],
  "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 wai →

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-d2Fp