vai

• VAI

vai

1. (grammar) Initialism of verb animate intransitive: an intransitive verb that agrees with an animate subject.

• vii
• vta
• vti

• A-IV, Avi, IVA, Iva, Via, avi-, via, viâ

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)
• Anuta: a Polynesian outlier in the Solomon Islands (1973)
• Oral Traditions of Anuta: A Polynesian Outlier in the Solomon Islands (1998)

• vuai

From Vulgar Latin *oie, from Latin hodie. Compare Friulian vuê, Catalan avui.

vai

1. today

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian [Term?] (compare Indonesian pari, Malay pari), from Proto-Austronesian [Term?].

vai

1. ray (marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail)

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

• Hyphenation: vai
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• IPA^(key): /ʋɑi̯/

vai

1. (interrogative adverb, colloquial) is that so?

   Tulee vai?

   Oh, [he/she/it] is coming?

vai

1. (coordinating; in question clauses) or (exclusive or; either what comes before or what comes after)

   Onko se suuri vai pieni?

   Is it big or small?

• While it is often said that tai is to be used in affirmative clauses and vai is to be used in question clauses, a more precise difference is that tai is an inclusive or, while vai is an exclusive or. For instance, while Söitkö sinä leivän tai hedelmät? and Söitkö sinä leivän vai hedelmät? are both correct, the former asks in a yes or no question, whether you ate either bread or fruit or not, while the latter asks which you ate, the bread or the fruit.

• tai

• AVI, avi, iva, via

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. third-person singular present indicative of ir
2. second-person singular imperative of ir

vai

1. second-person singular present of andare
2. second-person singular imperative of andare

• avi, IVA, via

Borrowed from Livonian või or dialectal Estonian vai; compare other Finnic languages (Finnish vai, Standard Estonian või). First found occasionally in Latvian writings in the 17th century, initially as a conjunction, then as a particle, it became more frequent in the 18th century; but only in the 19th century did it really strike root in the language.[1]

IPA^(key): [vài]

vai

1. used to indicate a disjunction between two elements; or (in the either-or sense, not in the sense of a.k.a., which is jeb).

   atbildi: jā vai nē! ― answer: yes or no!

   viņa nezināja, ko pirkt: rozes vai neļķes ― she didn't know what to buy: roses or carnations

2. used to suggest vagueness, uncertainty, or a veiled threat; usually followed by ellipsis (...); or, or else...

   ja labi grib, to darbu var veikt parasts dežurants, vai brigadieris, vai (...) ― if (he) really wants, an ordinary man on duty can do this job, or a brigadier, or... (= or someone like that)

   vai tas kāds noziegums, kauns, vai? — is this a crime, a shame, or what?

   jums tas jādara, vai... ― you all have to do this, or else...

3. used to introduce conditional subordinate clauses; whether, if

   nav zināms, vai to darījis viņš ― it is not known whether he did it

   es nezinu, vai to spēšu ― I don't know if I will be able to

   pasaki, vai es esmu nodevējs ― tell me if I am a traitor

• jeb

vai

1. interrogative particle, used in either-or questions

   vai tu runā latviski? ― do you speak Latvian?

   vai tu dzirdi? ― do you hear? are you listening?

vai m (invariable)

1. the word vai itself; also, implicitly, a question

   cits pēc cita nāca tik daudzi vai, ka viņa nevarēja ilgāk izturēt ― so many vai's (= questions) came one after the other that she couldn't stand it any longer

From Proto-Indo-European *way- (“suffer, be miserable”). Cognates include Lithuanian vái, vaĩ, Old High German wē, Old English wā, Latin vae, German weh, English woe.[1]

IPA^(key): [vāī], IPA^(key): [vài], IPA^(key): [vaî] (depending on situational intonation)

vai

1. used to express emotional responses: excitement, surprise, pain, fear, sorrow, irritation, etc.

   vai, ko es daru! ― oh! what am I doing!

   vai, kāds jūs līks izskatāties! ― boy, look at you! what a sight!

   vai, vai, Ilma, vai, tev tikai nauda prātā! ― oh come on, Ilma, you only think about money!

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

vai

1. or

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Edward Tregear, A Dictionary of Mangareva (or Gambier Islands) (1899)
• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• ABVD

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Niue Language Dictionary (University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1997, →ISBN)

From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Related to Finnish vai.

vai

1. or (in questions, for mutually exclusive possibilities)
2. so that

• Álgu database

vai

1. imperative of vaie

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Vern Carroll, An outline of the structure of the language of Nukuoro (1965)
• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. water

• A Grammar of Vaeakau-Taumako (2011, →ISBN

• vay (obsolete)
• vae (obsolete)

• (Brazil, Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈvaj/
• Hyphenation: vai

vai

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of ir
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of ir
3. (informal, followed by the infinitive) will (used to express the third person singular future tense)
   • 2003, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e a Ordem da Fênix [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix] (Harry Potter; 5), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 643:

     Ele nunca vai reparar na gente [...]

     He will never notice us [...]

• (forms third person singular future tense): -á

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Probably an expressive creation. Similar words are found in many other languages, especially Indo-European. Compare Latin vae, Albanian vaj, Italian guai, Spanish ay, Ancient Greek οὐαί (ouaí), English woe.

• IPA^(key): /vaj/

vai

1. alas, woe

• văita

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. crake

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

vai

1. water

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

Compare Maori wai.

vai

1. who

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• Raymond Firth, Mervyn McLean, Tikopia Songs: Poetic and Musical Art of a Polynesian People (1990)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

From Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

• William Churchill, The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced (1911)

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Polynesian *wai, from Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

vai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. lake

• (lake): vaitūloto

• An Introduction to Tuvaluan (1999, →ISBN

From Proto-Finnic *vai.

vai

1. or

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “или, либо”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Compare Proto-Katuic *ʔapaal (“shoulder”) (whence Pacoh apal).

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˧] ~ [jaːj˧˧]

vai (𣘾, 𦠘, 𦢳)

1. shoulder
2. rank, status
3. part, role