kai

English Online Dictionary. What means kai‎? What does kai mean?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori kai, from Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Pronunciation

Noun

kai (uncountable)

1. (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.

Anagrams

• AKI, KIA, Kia, aik

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Estonian

Etymology

Noun

kai (genitive kai, partitive kaid)

1. quay

Declension

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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

Noun

kai f (genitive singular kaiar, plural kaiir)

1. (colloquial) quay

Declension

Synonyms

• bryggja
• atløgubryggja

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Finnish

Etymology

Probably shortened from kaiketi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑi̯/, [ˈkɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Hyphenation: kai

Adverb

kai

1. probably
2. maybe, perhaps

Anagrams

• Aki

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Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese cair. Cognates with Kabuverdianu kai.

Verb

kai

1. to fall

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Hausa

Pronoun

kai

1. you (2nd person singular pronoun)

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Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian [Term?] (compare Maori tai), from Proto-Oceanic [Term?] (compare Fijian tai), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tasik.

Noun

kai

1. sea

2. salt water
3. seaside, area near the sea, lowlands
4. tide, current in the sea
5. gravy, sauce, dressing, soup, broth

See also

• wai
• moana

Verb

kai

1. (stative) to be insipid, brackish, tasteless

Interjection

kai

1. my, how much!; how very! how terrific!

See also

• kainō
• keu

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Japanese

Romanization

kai

1. Rōmaji transcription of かい

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Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese cair.

Verb

kai

1. to fall

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Karajá

Pronoun

kai

1. you, second-person singular pronoun

Usage notes

• This term is used in both women's and men's speech.

Derived terms

• kaiboho

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

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Karelian

Adverb

kai

1. all

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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”).

Pronunciation

• (conjunction): IPA^(key): /kɐɪˑ/
• (particle): IPA^(key): /kɐɪ/

Conjunction

kaĩ

1. (in relative clauses) when, while, as

Particle

kai (unstressed)

1. (in conjunction with interrogative words) some, a certain (suggesting the complement is a known entity, but withheld)

   kai kàs - (a certain) something

   Àš táu kai ką̃ turiù - I have something for you.

   kai kadà - sometimes, in some cases

Derived terms

Related terms

• tai
• kas
• kad
• kaip

See also

• kada
• kaž-, nors, bet

References

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Mandarin

Romanization

kai

1. Nonstandard spelling of kāi.
2. Nonstandard spelling of kǎi.
3. Nonstandard spelling of kài.

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.

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Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic *kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai (passive form kainga)

1. to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

Related terms

• kaimoana

Descendants

• → English: kai

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North Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian kēi. Cognates include West Frisian kaai.

Noun

kai m (plural kaier)

1. (Föhr-Amrum) key

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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”)).

Noun

kai m or f (definite singular kaia or kaien, indefinite plural kaier, definite plural kaiene)

1. quay, wharf, dock

Derived terms

• ferjekai, fergekai
• kaikant

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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”)).

Noun

kai f or m (definite singular kaia or kaien, indefinite plural kaier or kaiar, definite plural kaiene or kaiane)

1. quay, wharf, dock

Derived terms

• ferjekai
• kaikant

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Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese cair and Spanish caer and Kabuverdianu kai.

Verb

kai

1. to fall

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Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai

1. to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

Derived terms

• patia kai

Adverb

kai

1. not

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Southeastern Tepehuan

Etymology 1

From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *kapsi.

Noun

kai (plural kaakai)

1. thigh

Derived terms

• kairam

Etymology 2

Cognate with Northern Tepehuan káídɨ, O'odham kai.

Noun

kai

1. seed

Etymology 3

Verb

kai

1. 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)‎^[1], electronic edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 100

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Sundanese

Romanization

kai

1. Romanization of ᮊᮄ

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai

1. (transitive) to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

See also

• kaikai

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Tongan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.i/

Noun

kai

1. food

Verb

kai

1. To eat

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Tuvaluan

Adverb

kai

1. ever