ai

Originated 1685–95, from Brazilian Portuguese aí, from Old Tupi a'y.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.i/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

ai (plural ais or ai)

1. A type of three-toed sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, endemic to forests of southern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil.

• (Bradypus tridactylus): maned sloth

• unau (two-toed sloth)

• “ai”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “ai”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

• ai on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Bradypus tridactylus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Contraction of aight (which itself is a contraction of all right).

• aii

• IPA^(key): /aɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ
• Homophones: ay, aye, I, eye

ai

1. (slang, US) All right.

   Ai, let's go.

• -ia, IA, i.a.

• IPA^(key): /aj/

ai class II gender mf

1. fish (general term)
2. food, meat for consumption

Generally feminine for sense "fish", potentially masculine for sense "food".

• Lock, Arjen (2011), Abau Grammar (Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages)‎^[1], 1st edition, volume 57, Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: SIL-PNG Academic Publications
  • p.62 (feminine gender noted for all fish)
  • p.67, Table 21 (listed under Class 2, Feminine)
• SIL International (2020), “Abau Dictionary”, in Webonary.org‎^[2]

ai

1. water

• Sidney Herbert Ray, A comparative study of the Melanesian Island languages (1926), page 351

• ay — northern Tosk, Korçë
• aĩnê — southern Gheg, Kavajë

Continuing a Common Albanian compound *aý ~ *aí, from Proto-Albanian *ahýh ~ *aíh, from a Pre-Proto-Albanian *au̯- ("away, from") + *hýh ~ íh, continuing Proto-Indo-European *h₂au̯ (“away, from”) and Proto-Indo-European *sos (“that”). The second component, from Common Albanian *ý ~ *í, is identical to the Albanian postponed definite article -i, as well as -u, which changed due to contact with final k, g, or a vowel. (e.g. djali, burri, qeni, qyteti, also bariu, ariu, barku).^[1]

• (standard) IPA^(key): [aˈi], (often, unstressed in the dialects) [aj]
• (southern Gheg, Kavajë) IPA^(key): [aˈĩnɛ̃]

ai m (accusative atë, dative atij, ablative atij)

1. he

ai

1. that

ai

1. water

• Darrell T. Tryon, New Hebrides languages: an internal classification (1976)

ai

1. banana

• transnewguinea.org, citing Franklin KJ. 1975. Comments on Proto-Engan. In SA Wurm, Ed. New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study: Papuan languages and the New Guinea linguistic scene. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, pp. 263-275.'

• (Chungli) IPA^(key): /a˧.i˧/, [a˧.i˧]

ai

1. (Chungli) to enter, go in

From Proto-Central Naga *a-ʒa(ʔ).

• (Chungli) IPA^(key): /a˥.jiʔ˥/, [a˥.jiʔ˥]

ai

1. (Chungli) grass

• (Chungli) IPA^(key): /a˥.i˥/, [a˥.i˥]

ai

1. to sharpen
2. to row (a boat)

• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[3], Berkeley: University of California, pages 61, 181
• Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 9
• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 116
• Clark, E. W. (1911), “AEI”, in Ao-Naga dictionary, Dimapur

ai

1. penis

• IPA^(key): /ˈai̯/
• Syllabification: ai
• Rhymes: -ai̯

ai

1. ah!, alas!
2. woe!
3. expresses pain, sorrow, or surprise

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

ai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. river, lake

• François, Alexandre. 2008. An online lexicon of Araki (Santo, Vanuatu). Electronic files. Paris: CNRS. (Pdf version) ‒ entry ai.

From English eye.

ai

1. eye
2. headlight of a car
3. seed

From English I.

ai

1. I

From English high.

ai

1. high, tall

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈaj]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aj

ai

1. ouch (pain), ooh (pain)

ai m (plural ais)

1. ooh (pain)

ai

1. First person singular general possessive; my (used with general-class objects)

• IPA^(key): /ˈaj/
• Hyphenation: ai

ai

1. second-person singular indicative present of avè

• “avè” in Aiaccinu: Cunghjugatori corsu

ạị

1. water

• wẹ

• Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
• Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN, page 130 (see we)

ai

1. water

• Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics), page 114

• IPA^(key): /ɑi̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ai

From Middle Dutch ai, ultimately of imitative origin.

• aai (obsolete)

ai

1. expression of pain, grief or pity: ay

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “ai¹”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

Borrowed from Portuguese ai, from Old Tupi ai.

• aï, aai (obsolete)

ai m (plural ais, no diminutive)

1. pale-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus)

   Synonyms: drievingerige luiaard, zonluiaard (Suriname)

• drievingerige luiaard on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

ai

1. ow, ouch

• aia

Compare Estonian ai, Ingrian ai, Karelian ai, Ludian ai, Veps ai, Votic ai, and Swedish aj, Norwegian aj, Latvian aj. Perhaps natural; tracing an origin is practically impossible.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯/, [ˈɑ̝i̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): ai
• Hyphenation^(key): ai

ai

1. ouch!
2. oh!

   Ai, se olitkin sinä!

   Oh, it was you!

3. (colloquial, interrogative particle) oh...? as in...?

   "Käytkö kaupassa?" "Ai, ruokakaupassa?"

   "Will you go to the shop?" "Oh, the food shop?"

• (ouch): aih, au, auts.
• (interrogative): -ko, -kö

• ai niin

• “ai”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

• -ia, ia

• IPA^(key): /e/, /ɛ/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Homophones: et, aie, aies, aient, ait, es, est, hais, hait

ai

1. first-person singular present indicative of avoir

   J'ai un chien.

   I have a dog.

• IA

From Latin allium.

ai m (plural ais)

1. garlic

From Old Galician-Portuguese ay (attested since the 13^th century).

• IPA^(key): [ˈaj]

ai

1. ouch! expresses pain
2. ooh! expresses pain
3. oh! expresses concern
   • 1812, Antonio Benito Fandiño, A Casamenteira:

     Ai tontiño, porque iñoras
     o qu’he mantér casa e vida,
     que por ben que estea sortida,
     hai faltas a todas horas.
     O segundo, que teu pai
     pensa com’home de ben,
     e así por vergonza ten
     unha nora que non trai.
     Orasme, sobr’esto hai,
     que a dous parizós que teña,
     non tendes donde vos veña,
     cando ela non colla un mal.

     Oh, silly, because you don't know
     what it is to keep house and life,
     no matter how well stocked it is,
     there's lack at all hours.
     Second, your father
     thinks like a good man,
     and to his shame he has
     a daughter-in-law who doesn't bear.
     However, on this matter,
     with just two childbirths that she has,
     you'll be left resourceless,
     and that if she doesn't get sick.

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “ay”, 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), “ai”, 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), “ai”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “ai”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kahiw.

ai

1. tree
2. wood

From Proto-Oceanic *api, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *api, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *apuy, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hapuy, from Proto-Austronesian *Sapuy.

ai

1. fire

• ayí (Benin)

From Proto-Gbe *a-yĩ́ (“earth”).^[1] Cognates include Fon ayǐ, Saxwe Gbe nyixɔ́, Aja (West Africa) anyi. Perhaps related to Yoruba ayé

• IPA^(key): /ā.jí/

aí (plural aí lẹ́) (Nigeria)

1. ground

From Proto-Polynesian *qai, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qasiq.

• IPA^(key): /ˈai̯/, [ˈɐj], [ˈɛj] (rapid speech)

ai

1. to have sexual intercourse; to copulate

ai

1. 1st-person plural pronoun exclusive: we, us (but not you)

From Proto-Malayic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

• IPA^(key): /aiʔ/, /aɛʔ/

ai

1. water

• Adelaar, K. A. (1992), Proto-Malayic: The reconstruction of its phonology and parts of its lexicon and morphology‎^[5], Canberra: The Australian National University
• Asmah Haji Omar (1977), “The Iban Language”, in The Sarawak Museum Journal, volume XXV, number 46, pages 81-100
• Smith, A. (2017), The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈai̯/ [ˈai̯]
• Rhymes: -ai̯
• Syllabification: ai

Inherited from Malay ai.

ai

1. (dialectal) exclamation to express surprise and so on

Borrowed from Acehnese.

ai (comparative lebih ai, superlative paling ai)

1. (dialectal) really miss

Borrowed from Sentani.

ai (plural ai-ai)

1. (dialectal) breadfruit bark, which has sparse fibers, the surface is not smooth, has a lot of sap, is light brown in color

Borrowed from Malay (Riau dialect).

ai (plural ai-ai)

1. (dialectal) dirt, that is usually found in well water, rivers, lakes, and so on

• “ai”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Ultimately a natural sound. Compare Finnish ai and Estonian ai.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯/, [ˈɑi̯]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯/, [ˈɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi̯
• Hyphenation: ai

ai

1. Exclamation of pain or frustration: ouch! oh!

   ai voi ― oh-oh

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 5

• a' (truncation)
• hai (hypercorreted, misspelled, proscribed)

• IPA^(key): /ˈaj/
• Homophone: hai
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: ài

ai

1. contraction of a i; to the, at the

• -ia, IA

ai

1. Rōmaji transcription of あい
2. Rōmaji transcription of アイ

ai

1. alternative spelling of ábi (sense 1)

From Proto-Malayic *air, Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

• IPA^(key): /aiʔ/

ai

1. water

• Smith, A. (2017), The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

• IPA^(key): /aj/

ai (upper case Ai)

1. A letter of the Kiowa alphabet.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ai ai, Au au, Aui aui, B̶ b̶, B b, D̶ d̶, D d, E e, G̶ g̶, G g, H h, I i, K k, Kʼ kʼ, L l, M m, N n, n̶, O o, Oi oi, P p, Pʼ pʼ, S s, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ui ui, W w, Y y, Z z, ꞉

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *aj ~ *ad (“I”, first person singular personal pronoun),^[1] derived from Proto-Yeniseian *Ha- (generic personal pronoun base) + Proto-Yeniseian *-jʳ ~ *-xʷ (first person singular pronoun formant).^[2]

• IPA^(key): /aj/

ai

1. I (first-person singular personal pronoun)

• Matthias Alexander Castrén, Versuch Einer Jenissei-Ostjakischen Und Kottischen Sprachlehre: Nebst Aus Den Genannten Sprachen, St. Petersburg: Leopold Voss Publisher, 1858, page 195
• Werner, Heinrich (2002), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, volume 1, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 72
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2003), Röhrborn, Klaus, Schellbach-Kopra, Ingrid, editors, M. A. Castrén und die Jenissejistik: Die Jennisej-Sprachen des 19. Jahrhunderts (Veröffentlichungen des Societas Uralo-Altaica; 62) (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 135
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2005), Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz KG, →ISBN, page 106

ai

1. friend

a +‎ i

ai

1. at or to the (+ plural noun)

ai (Hebrew spelling אאי)

1. alternative form of aí

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈa.ɪ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.i]

aï

1. second-person singular present active imperative of aiō
   • c. 270 BCE – c. 201 BCE, Gnaeus Naevius, Fragments Palliatae.125:^[1]

     An nā́ta est spṓnsa praégnās? Vél aï vél negā!

     Was the fiancée born pregnant? Answer “yes” or “no”!

• Not longer in common use in Classical Latin, being only attested once, in a quotation in a grammatical treatise.

• “ai”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ai”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[6], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • do you think so? are you in earnest: ain tu?
    

ai

1. ouch!
2. oh!

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *apuy, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hapuy, from Proto-Austronesian *Sapuy.

ai

1. fire

Compare Russian ой (oj, “ow!”).

ái: IPA^(key): /a͡ɪ/

aĩ: IPA^(key): /ɐ͡ɪ/

ái! or ai̇̃!

1. ow!, ah!, (expresses pain, fear or surprise)
2. oi!, hey! (used to attract someone's attention)

• oi!, ui!
• oi!, a!

ai

1. alternative form of aj (“garlic”)

ai

1. romanization of ᠠᡳ

ai

1. nonstandard spelling of āi
2. nonstandard spelling of ái
3. nonstandard spelling of ǎi
4. nonstandard spelling of ài

• 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.

From Proto-Polynesian *ʻai, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qai (“copulate with”). Cognate with Hawaiian ai.

• IPA^(key): /ˈai/ [ˈɐi]

ai (passive aitia)

1. to copulate

   Synonyms: mahimahi, onioni

• ainga (“sex”)
• aitanga (“progeny”)

• “ai” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
• Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “QAI.2”, in “POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 50, number 2, pages 551-559

ai

1. (to be) bitter

ai

1. wound, injury

ai

1. alternative form of þei (“they”)

Inherited from Assamese আই (ai).

ai

1. mother, mom

ai

1. (Guernsey) first-person singular present indicative of aver

From Old Norse eigi.

• ei (Föhr-Amrum)
• ek (Sylt)

ai

1. (Mooring) not

From Old Frisian *ai, *ei, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją (“egg”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”).

ai

1. (Föhr-Amrum) egg

ai

1. used to express surprise

• “ai” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

ai

1. used to express surprise

• “ai” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

ai

1. first-person singular present indicative of aver

ai

1. huh
2. geez
3. what
4. hey

• "ai" in Cliff Goddard (1992), Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara to English Dictionary, 2nd edition
• Ninti Ngapartji

• IPA^(key): /ɐi/

ai

1. no way!

Onomatopoeic.

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: ai

ai

1. ouch (expression of physical pain)

   Ai! Pisei um prego! ― Ouch! I stepped on a nail!

2. oh (expression of concern)

   Ai, se eu te pego! ― Oh, if I catch you!

• “ai”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “ai”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

From Proto-Polynesian *hai. Cognates include Tongan hai and Māori wai.

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.i/
• Hyphenation: a‧i

ai

1. who?

• Paulus Kieviet (2017), A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[7], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 404

ai

1. come

• IPA^(key): /aj/
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: ai

ai (masculine plural possessive)

1. of

   Niște prieteni ai lui sunt interesanți.

   Some friends of his are interesting.

• al (masculine/neuter singular)
• a (feminine singular)
• ale (feminine/neuter plural)

From Latin allium / alium.

ai m (uncountable)

1. (regional) garlic

   Synonym: usturoi

• aior
• mujdei

• ceapă

Inflected form of avea (“to have”).

ai

1. second-person singular present indicative of avea

   (you) have

   Ai vreun prieten în România?

   Do you have any friends in Romania?

2. inflection of avea:
   1. second-person singular present subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

From an old or proto-Romanian form ae, from Latin habēs.^[1]

ai

1. (tu) ai (modal auxiliary, second-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

   (you) have...

• am
• a
• ați
• au

Probably from a Vulgar Latin *eas, from Latin habēbās.

(tu) ai (modal auxiliary, second-person singular form of avea, used with infinitives to form conditional tenses)

1. (you) would

   Ai fi murit dacă ți-aș fi spus.

   You would have died if I'd told you.

• am
• ați
• ar
• aș

ai (plural aaita)

1. his father

ai

1. (rare) still (used with nominalized third person verbs)

• Moser, Mary B.; Marlett, Stephen A. (2010), Comcaac quih yaza quih hant ihiip hac: cmiique iitom - cocsar iitom - maricaana iitom [Seri-Spanish-English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Hermosillo: Plaza y Valdés Editores, →ISBN, page 43.

• ay (unofficial)

• IPA^(key): /ai̯/, [a̠i̯], [ɑ̟i̯]

From English eye.

ai

1. eye

From English aye, ay.

ai

1. yes

• Wilner, John, editor (2003-2007), “ai”, in Languages of Suriname, 5th edition, SIL International, Sranan-English Dictionary

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ (“fresh water; steam, river”).

ai

1. water

• ABVD
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*wahiR”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ʔaːj˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ʔaːj˦˥]

ai

1. synonym of cò niêng

ai (Nôm form 埃)

1. to lean on

ai

1. blow (of wind); steam;
2. breath

   lẹo ai ― out of breath

3. smell; odor

   đâm ai ― to smell

   ai nắc ― strong smell

   ai hom ― pleasant smell

   ai mên ― rancid smell

   lẹo ai ― odorless

• Lương Bèn (2011), Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[8][9] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[10] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]
• Léopold Michel Cadière (1910), Dictionnaire Tày-Annamite-Français [Tày-Vietnamese-French Dictionary]‎^[11] (in French), Hanoi: Impressions d'Extrême-Orient

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kahiw, compare Tagalog kahoy.

ai

1. tree
2. wood

From English eye.

ai

1. (anatomy) eye
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:5:

     Sapos yutupela i kaikai pikinini bilong dispela diwai, bai ai bilong yutupela i op na yutupela i kisim save long wanem samting i gutpela, na wanem samting i nogut, na bai yutupela i kamap wankain olsem God. God i save long dispela, olsem na em i tambuim yutupela long kaikai pikinini bilong dispela diwai.”

     →New International Version translation

2. hole, opening, lid
3. tip

• ai i pas

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.i]
• Hyphenation: a‧i

From Proto-Polynesian *hai. Cognates include Hawaiian ai and Samoan ai.

ai

1. who?

From Proto-Polynesian *ai. Cognates include Hawaiian ai and Samoan ai.

ai

1. Anaphoric particle used to refer to an adverbial clause; there, then

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[12], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 1

From English I.

ai

1. I (see also mi)

From English eye.

ai

1. eye

ai

1. plural of aio

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

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔeː (“who”). Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] ʔeː¹.

ai • (埃)

1. who

   Ai vậy ạ?

   Who are you?

   Ai (mà) biết.

   Who knows? / How should I know?

2. whoever, anyone

   Ai cũng được. ― Anyone is fine.

3. someone, someone else
4. one, a person
   • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, “Cuối mùa nhan sắc”, in Cánh đồng bất tận, NXB Trẻ:

     Người ở chùa, người bán vé số, người ngủ công viên, người hát rong, ít ai có nhà để về.

     Some live at the temple, some sell lottery tickets, some sleep in parks, some play music in the streets; few have a home to go back to.

5. (rhetorical) nobody

• The interrogative pronoun ai is used for a person. When ai functions as the subject of the question, it is placed at the beginning of the question.

Ai có ô tô? ― Who has a car?

• When functioning as the predicate, it can either follow or predate the linking verb là.

Hải là ai? ― Who is Hải?

Ai là Hải? ― Who is Hải?

• When functioning as the object, it is placed after the verb.

Nga vẽ ai? ― Whom is Nga drawing?

ai

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 哀

ai

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 埃

ai

1. always
2. at all times
3. constantly (habitually)
4. ever (always)
5. habitually

• neai

• ai laidio (forever)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Finnish ai and Russian ай (aj).

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯/, [ˈɑi̯]
• (Jõgõperä) IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯/, [ˈɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi̯
• Hyphenation: ai

ai

1. oh
2. ouch, ow

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “ai”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

May derive from a (interrogative particle) +‎ yw (“is, are”) or from or via the synonymous ae.

• IPA^(key): /ai̯/
• Rhymes: -ai̯
• Homophones: a'i, â'i, a'u, â'u

ai (literary)

1. interrogative particle (used when a non-verbal element is fronted for emphasis)

   Synonym: ife

   Ai ef yw dy dad?

   Is he your father?

2. whether, if (used when the subordinate clause has a non-verbal element fronted for emphasis)

   Ni wn ai ef yw dy dad.

   I do not know whether he is your father.

• Used before a non-verbal element fronted for emphasis. Unemphatic initial verbs, on the other hand, employ the interrogative particle a.
• This word is found in formal language. As an initial interrogative particle, it is often dropped altogether in colloquial language or replaced with ife in some southern dialects.
• Likewise, with the meaning "whether", this may be dropped colloquially. An alternative construction influenced by English is to replaced the ai with os (“if”) followed by the appropriate dialect-specific indicating an emphatic subordinate clause, namely taw in south Wales and mai or na in the north.

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.i/

ai

1. (intransitive) to come back, return
2. (intransitive) to depart

   naai sito? ― where did you depart from?

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[13], Pacific linguistics (as ay)

ai

1. (anatomy) foot

From Proto-Cariban [Term?]. Compare Apalaí ae, Hixkaryana yaye, Macushi yapai, and Waiwai yay.

• IPA^(key): [aj]

ai

1. through, by; indicates motion by way of a non-aquatic object of class 1

A possessed noun that is the object of this postposition does not take the possessed suffix -dü. The postposition can thus combine with nouns referring to body parts and parts of objects to form more complex postpositions/relational nouns.

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011), Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[14], Lyon, pages 267–272

• IPA^(key): /ai̯˧˥/

ái

1. crab

• Chungkham Yashawanta Singh; Lukram Himmat (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40