nai

See also: Appendix:Variations of "nai"

Languages (24)

Translingual • English

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Ajië • Aromanian • Dalmatian • Finnish • Galician • Gullah • Japanese • Livonian • Lote • Mandarin • Middle English • Murui Huitoto • Ngazidja Comorian • North Frisian • Romanian • Saterland Frisian • South Efate • Spanish • Sranan Tongo • Vietnamese • Welsh • Yaqay

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Initialism of English North American Indian.

Symbol

nai

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for North American Indian languages.

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Hindi नाई (nāī).

Noun

nai (plural nais)

1. (India) barber.

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Romanian nai.

Noun

nai (plural nais)

1. (music) A Romanian diatonic pan flute used since the 17th century.

Synonyms

• muscal

Anagrams

• Ian, INA, AIN, Ani, Nia, Ain, NIA, ani, ain', ANI, Ina, -ian, nia, ain

Ajië

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nai]

Verb

nai

1. to plant

References

• Leenhardt, M. (1935), Vocabulaire et grammaire de la langue Houaïlou, Paris: Institut d'ethnologie. Cited in: "Houaïlou" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.
• Leenhardt, M. (1946), Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "Ajiø" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Aromanian

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• nae

Noun

nai f (plural nãi)

1. region, province, county

Etymology 2

From Latin nāvis. Compare archaic Romanian naie.

Alternative forms

• nae

Noun

nai f (plural nãi)

1. vessel, boat (especially with sails)

See also

• cãravi, catrig, lãndurã, luntri, ghimii

Etymology 3

Adverb

nai

1. the most

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin nix, nivem. Compare Romanian nea, Italian neve, Romansh naiv, Catalan neu.

Noun

nai f

1. snow

Finnish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɑi̯/, [ˈnɑ̝i̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): nai
• Hyphenation^(key): nai

Verb

nai

1. third-person singular present/past indicative of naida

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɑi̯ˣ/, [ˈnɑ̝i̯(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): nai
• Hyphenation^(key): nai

Verb

nai

1. inflection of naida:
   1. present active indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular present imperative
   3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative

Anagrams

• ain, ani

Galician

nai e fillo ("mother and son")

Alternative forms

• mai

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese mãy, influenced by the archaic nana (“mother”), from Latin mater. Cognate of Portuguese mãe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaj/ [ˈna̠j]
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: nai

Noun

nai f (plural nais)

1. mother
   • 2016, Xurxo Sierra Veloso, Os fíos, Editorial Galaxia, →ISBN:

     Apuntamentos para axenda mental de hoxe: rifa coa miña nai. A ver por que lle ten que ir contando ela a ninguén que precisei psiquiatra despois da miña separación?

     Appointment in today's TODO mental schedule: arguing with my mother. Why she has to go around telling anyone that I needed a psychiatrist after my separation?

Derived terms

• naiciña (hypocoristic)

Related terms

• madre
• padre
• pai

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “mãy”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “nai”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “nai”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “nai”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Gullah

Gullah numbers ^(edit)

←  3	4	5  →
African Cardinal: nai     American Cardinal: foe     Ordinal: foe     Adverbial: fuh fo     Multiplier: fo-time     Collective: allfo

Etymology

From Fula nai.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɑi/

Adjective

nai

1. fourth

Number

nai

1. four

   Synonym: foe

Usage notes

• Gullah communicates both the number and its ordinal adjective in the same word.

References

• Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969)

Japanese

Romanization

nai

1. Rōmaji transcription of ない

Livonian

nai (“woman”)

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *nainën.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɑi/, [ˈnɑ̯iˑ]

Noun

nai

1. woman
2. wife

Declension

Declension of nai (191)

	singular (ikšlu’g)	plural (pǟgiņlu’g)
nominative (nominatīv)	nai	naizt
genitive (genitīv)	naiz	naizt
partitive (partitīv)	nāizta	naiži
dative (datīv)	naizõn	naiztõn
instrumental (instrumentāl)	naizõks	naiztkõks
illative (illatīv)	naizõ	naižiz
inessive (inesīv)	naizõs naisõ	naižis
elative (elatīv)	naizõst naistõ	naižist

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “nai”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[2] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Lote

Numeral

nai

1. two

References

• Greg Pearson, René van den Berg, Lote Grammar Sketch (2008)

Mandarin

Romanization

nai

1. nonstandard spelling of nái
2. nonstandard spelling of nǎi
3. nonstandard spelling of nài

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• naie, nei, næi

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse nei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /næi̯/

Interjection

nai

1. no

Noun

nai (plural nais)

1. denial, refusal

Adverb

nai

1. no, not

Descendants

• English: nay
• Yola: naay, na

References

• “nai, interj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “nai, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “nai, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Murui Huitoto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnai̯]
• Hyphenation: nai

Root

nai

1. this, that (anaphoric, specific)

Derived terms

• naimɨe

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[3] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 185
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017), A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[4], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 161

Ngazidja Comorian

Adjective

nai

1. bad

References

• “nai” in Outils & Ressources pour l'Exploitation de la Langue Comorienne, 2008.

North Frisian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *niwjaz.

Adjective

nai

1. (Mooring) new

Inflection

Inflection of nai (Mooring dialect)

	masculine		feminine / neuter	plural
	indefinite	definite
positive
predicative / adverbial	nai
attributive / independent	naien	naie	nai	naie
partitive	nais			—
comparative
predicative / adverbial	naier
attributive / independent	naieren	naiere	naier	naiere
partitive	naiers			—
superlative
predicative / adverbial	am naisten
attributive / independent	—	naiste	naist	naiste

Alternative forms

• nei (Föhr-Amrum)
• nii (Sylt)

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian nēi, from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw, from Proto-Germanic *nēhw (“close, near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz (“close, near”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to attain, reach”).

Adjective

nai

1. (Föhr-Amrum) close, near

Alternative forms

• noi (Goesharde)
• näi (Wiedingharde)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish نای (nay), from Persian نی (ney).

Noun

nai n (plural naiuri)

1. a type of pan flute

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	nai	naiul	naiuri	naiurile
genitive-dative	nai	naiului	naiuri	naiurilor
vocative	naiule		naiurilor

Descendants

• → English: nai

See also

• fluier

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian nēi, from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw, from Proto-Germanic *nēhw (“close, near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz (“close, near”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to attain, reach”).

Adjective

nai

1. close, near

Derived terms

• Nai Aaste

South Efate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nai/

Noun

nai

1. water

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnai/ [ˈnai̯]
• Rhymes: -ai
• Syllabification: nai

Noun

nai m (plural nais)

1. (anatomy, colloquial, slang, vulgar, Cuba) butt

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch naaien.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nai̯/

Verb

nai

1. to sew

Derived terms

• nanai

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [naːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [naːj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [naːj˧˧]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *k-ɗeː. Cognate with Muong đai and Arem kadêê.

Alternative forms

• (North Central Vietnam) nây

Noun

nai • (狔, 猍, 󰶀, 𬸼) (classifier con)

1. sambar deer
2. (by extension) any species of deer

Derived terms

• hươu nai

See also

• hươu; cheo; mang; hoẵng

Etymology 2

Unknown. Perhaps from the "confused" look that deer in general exhibit. Perhaps popularized by the lines that describe "a confused deer walking on autumn leaves" from the poem Tiếng thu (“Sounds of Autumn”) by Lưu Trọng Lư, and subsequently the pop song Mắt nai cha cha cha (“Cha-Cha-Cha Deer Eyes”) which describes the innocence of young girls.

Adjective

nai

1. (informal) innocent; naive

   giả nai

   to act innocent; to act dumb; to feign ignorance

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

nai • (坭, 󰑴) (classifier cái)

1. (rare, possibly obsolete) kind of bottle for storing wine

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

nai • (抳)

1. to tighten; to strap

Derived terms

• nai lưng
• nai nịt

Anagrams

• nia

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh nei, from Proto-Brythonic *nei, from Proto-Celtic *neɸūss, from Proto-Indo-European *népōts.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nai̯/

Noun

nai m (plural neiaint, not mutable)

1. nephew

Derived terms

• neigarwch

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “nai”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Yaqay

Noun

nai

1. father

References

• Ronald Kriens and Randy Lebold, Report on the Wildeman River Survey in Papua, Indonesia (SIL International, 2010) (all dialects, as either /nɑɪ/, /ˈnɑɪ/ or /nɑi/)