See lai in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_links": [
[
"lai",
"lai#Middle_English"
],
[
"lay",
"lay#Middle_English"
],
[
"lai",
"lai#Old_French"
],
[
"laik",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/laik"
],
[
"laih",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/laih"
],
[
"*laikaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laikaz"
],
[
"*laikiz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laikiz"
],
[
"*leyg-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leyg-"
],
[
"leih",
"leih#Old_High_German"
],
[
"leich",
"leich#Middle_High_German"
],
[
"𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃",
"𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃#Gothic"
],
[
"lācan",
"lacan#Old_English"
],
[
"lake",
"lake#English"
]
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "lai"
},
"expansion": "Middle English lai",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "lai",
"4": "",
"5": "song, lyric, poem"
},
"expansion": "Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frk",
"3": "*laik, *laih",
"t": "play, melody, song"
},
"expansion": "Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*laikaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *laikaz",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*leyg-",
"t": "to jump, spring, play"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "leih",
"3": "",
"4": "a play, skit, melody, song"
},
"expansion": "Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gmh",
"2": "leich",
"3": "",
"4": "piece of music, epic song played on a harp"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "got",
"2": "𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃",
"3": "",
"4": "a dance"
},
"expansion": "Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “a dance”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lācan",
"3": "",
"4": "to move quickly, fence, sing"
},
"expansion": "Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English lai, lay, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Old Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “a dance”), Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). More at lake.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "lais",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "lay",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "lai (plural lais)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 31 entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
286,
290
]
],
"ref": "1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 419:",
"text": "To poetry and music, indeed, the whole Celto-Cymric race seem to have been strongly addicted; and, independently of the materials which Brittany may have supplied for the history of Geoffrey of Monmouth, many other true or romantic adventures were narrated by the Breton poets in their Lais.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat."
],
"id": "en-lai-en-noun-lIsz1h83",
"links": [
[
"medieval",
"medieval"
],
[
"stanza",
"stanza"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(historical) A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "lai lai"
},
{
"word": "lai see"
}
],
"tags": [
"historical"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "form of lyrical, narrative poem",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "lai"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/laɪ/"
},
{
"rhymes": "-aɪ"
},
{
"homophone": "Leigh"
},
{
"homophone": "lie"
},
{
"homophone": "lye"
}
],
"word": "lai"
}
{
"etymology_links": [
[
"lai",
"lai#Middle_English"
],
[
"lay",
"lay#Middle_English"
],
[
"lai",
"lai#Old_French"
],
[
"laik",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/laik"
],
[
"laih",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/laih"
],
[
"*laikaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laikaz"
],
[
"*laikiz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laikiz"
],
[
"*leyg-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leyg-"
],
[
"leih",
"leih#Old_High_German"
],
[
"leich",
"leich#Middle_High_German"
],
[
"𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃",
"𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃#Gothic"
],
[
"lācan",
"lacan#Old_English"
],
[
"lake",
"lake#English"
]
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "lai"
},
"expansion": "Middle English lai",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "lai",
"4": "",
"5": "song, lyric, poem"
},
"expansion": "Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "frk",
"3": "*laik, *laih",
"t": "play, melody, song"
},
"expansion": "Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*laikaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *laikaz",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*leyg-",
"t": "to jump, spring, play"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "goh",
"2": "leih",
"3": "",
"4": "a play, skit, melody, song"
},
"expansion": "Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "gmh",
"2": "leich",
"3": "",
"4": "piece of music, epic song played on a harp"
},
"expansion": "Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "got",
"2": "𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃",
"3": "",
"4": "a dance"
},
"expansion": "Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “a dance”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lācan",
"3": "",
"4": "to move quickly, fence, sing"
},
"expansion": "Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”)",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English lai, lay, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Old Frankish *laik, *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “a dance”), Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). More at lake.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "lais",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "lay",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "lai (plural lais)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "lai lai"
},
{
"word": "lai see"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Frankish",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old French",
"English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
"English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms with historical senses",
"English terms with homophones",
"English terms with quotations",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 31 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/aɪ",
"Rhymes:English/aɪ/1 syllable",
"Terms with Polish translations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
286,
290
]
],
"ref": "1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 419:",
"text": "To poetry and music, indeed, the whole Celto-Cymric race seem to have been strongly addicted; and, independently of the materials which Brittany may have supplied for the history of Geoffrey of Monmouth, many other true or romantic adventures were narrated by the Breton poets in their Lais.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat."
],
"links": [
[
"medieval",
"medieval"
],
[
"stanza",
"stanza"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(historical) A mostly North European medieval form of lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance, with stanzas that do not repeat."
],
"tags": [
"historical"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/laɪ/"
},
{
"rhymes": "-aɪ"
},
{
"homophone": "Leigh"
},
{
"homophone": "lie"
},
{
"homophone": "lye"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "form of lyrical, narrative poem",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "lai"
}
],
"word": "lai"
}
Download raw JSONL data for lai meaning in English (4.7kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.