mai

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese mãy, influenced by the archaic nana (“mother”),^[1] from Latin mater. Cognate of Portuguese mãe.

Noun

mai f (plural mais)

1. Alternative form of nai

References

Pronoun

mai

1. me

Pronoun

mai

1. what

Etymology

From Portuguese mãe. Cognate with Kabuverdianu mai.

Noun

mai

1. mother

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mâi/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [mâi]

Noun

mâi m (possessed form mâin)

1. oil, fat, grease
2. gasoline, petrol

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi. Compare with Maori mai and Rapa Nui mai.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmai̯/, [ˈmɐj], [ˈmɛj] (rapid speech)

Particle

mai

1. hither, this way, towards the speaker

   Mai mai mai!

   Come in, come in!

   E hoʻolohe mai ana lākou i ka moʻolelo.

   They were listening to the story.

Preposition

mai

1. from (used in the sequence mai...mai or mai...aku)

Verb

mai

1. don't Negative imperative followed by a verb

   Mai makaʻu.

   Don't be afraid.

Etymology

ma +‎ -i

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɒji]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mai
• Rhymes: -ji

Adjective

mai (not comparable)

1. of today, today's

   Antonyms: régi, antik

   a mai újság ― today’s newspaper

Further reading

• mai in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Anagrams

• ami, ima

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maiʔ/
• Rhymes: -mai
• Hyphenation: mai

Verb

mai

1. to bring

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

mai

1. May
   • 1937, N. S. Popova, translated by A. Kolesova, Arifmetiikan oppikirja alkușkouluja vart (toin osa), Leningrad: Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 25:

     Vooes ono 12 kuuta: janvari, fevrali, martti, apreli, mai, ijuuni, ijuuli, avgusta, sentjabri, oktjabri, nojabri i dekabri.

     In a year are 12 months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 291

Etymology

From Latin magis.

Adverb

mai

1. never (not ever)
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40:

     Che mai pioûn biela duon i’iê veisto al mondo,

     That I haven’t ever seen a more beautiful woman in the world,

Etymology

From Latin magis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.i/^[1]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ai
• Hyphenation: mà‧i

Adverb

mai

1. never
2. ever, always
3. used as an intensifier

   Una risposta quanto mai ambigua.

   An ambiguous answer indeed.

   Dove mai si sarà cacciato?

   Where on earth did he end up?

References

Anagrams

• ami, ima, mia

Romanization

mai

1. Rōmaji transcription of まい
2. Rōmaji transcription of マイ

Etymology

From Portuguese mãe.

Noun

mai

1. mother

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑi̯/
• Hyphenation: mai

Noun

mai (genitive main, partitive maida)

1. (South Karelian) May

References

• A. V. Punzhina (1994) “mai”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN

Noun

mai

1. vegetable food, bush tucker

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *mari, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai/

Verb

mai

1. Come, present (at here), attend, be (here)

   Hang nak gebang aku eh, kata nak mai, batang hidung pun tak nampak!

   You said that you're gonna come, but I didn't see you anywhere!

   Depa mai ka dak ni; dah cemuih dah dok tang ni dok melangut ja.

   Have you seen them (present at here), cause I am bored to death here, just doing nothing.

Interjection

mai

1. Come here! Here!

   Mai la sat, aku seghighau satgi depa tabuh aku pulak.

   Please come with me for a second, I'm afraid that they might hit me.

   "Mai la, hang dok takut pa, aku tak buat pa eh," kata Ali kepada kucingnya.

   "Come! What are you so afraid of? I'm not gonna do anything to you," says Ali to his cat.

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *maj, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mej. Cognates include Tibetan མེ (me) and S'gaw Karen မ့ၣ် (maỳ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai̯˥/

Noun

mai

1. fire
2. flame

References

• R. Shafer (1944) “Khimi Grammar and Vocabulary”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, volume 11, number 2, page 423
• K. E. Herr (2011) The phonological interpretation of minor syllables, applied to Lemi Chin‎, Payap University, page 44

Etymology

Hinde (1904) records mai as an equivalent of English dung (cow's) in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also Kamba maii and Swahili mavi as its equivalents.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai/

Noun

mai class 6

1. shit, stool^[2]

References

Etymology

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *mai¹ (“rice; paddy; cooked rice”), from, Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma-j ~ mej (“rice; paddy”). Cognate with Garo mi, Atong (India) mai.

Noun

mai

1. rice
2. paddy

References

• Debbarma, Binoy (2001) “mai”, in Concise Kokborok-English-Bengali Dictionary‎, Language Wing, Education Department, TTAADC, →ISBN, page 78

Etymology

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

Noun

mai f

1. mother

References

• AEDLL

Pronunciation

• (Kedah) IPA^(key): [ˈmai̯]

Verb

mai (Jawi spelling ماي)

1. (dialectal) to come (to move from further away to nearer to)

References

• "mai" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.
• “mai” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Romanization

mai

1. Nonstandard spelling of mái.
2. Nonstandard spelling of mǎi.
3. Nonstandard spelling of mài.

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mai, Proto-Oceanic, Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi. Compare with Hawaiian mai and Rapa Nui mai.

Adverb

mai

1. hither

Noun

mai

1. water

References

• William L. Gardner, Language use in the Epena district of Northern Congo, SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2006-005 (2006)

Alternative forms

• maì

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mai̯]

Adverb

mai

1. Used to form hortatives of verbs; let's

   Mai jaai! ― Let's go!

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983) Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎ (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 171
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎, Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 144

Alternative forms

• mei (Föhr-Amrum)
• mooge (Mooring)

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *maganą.

Verb

mai

1. (Sylt) would, would like to, like to

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Maius, after Maia.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mɑːi/

Noun

mai (indeclinable)

1. May (fifth month of the Gregorian calendar)

See also

• (Gregorian calendar months) månad i den gregorianske kalenderen; januar, februar, mars, april, mai, juni, juli, august, september, oktober, november, desember ^{(Category: no:Months)}

References

• “mai” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “mai” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Maius, after Maia.

Noun

mai (indeclinable)

1. May (fifth month)

References

• “mai” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Alternative forms

• (Limousin, Auvergne, Languedoc, "but") mas
• (Gascony, "more/but") mes
• (Gascony, "more") mèi/mei
• (Gascony, Auvergne, "but") mès

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai/

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Occitan mai, from Latin magis.

Etymology 2

From Latin (mensis) Maius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai̯/, [mɛɪ]

Noun

mai

1. food (especially non-meat food; sometimes used for food in general)
2. plant used for food

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi. Cognate with Hawaiian mai and Maori mai.

Preposition

mai

1. from, since

Alternative forms

• май (mai) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaj/

• Audio (male voice):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: mai

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic маи (mai), from Koine Greek Μάϊος (Máïos), from Latin (mensis) Maius. Less likely a direct derivation from Latin.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin magis.

Etymology 3

Inherited from Latin malleus (“hammer”).

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Hungarian máj.

See also

• (Gregorian calendar months) lună a calendarului gregorian; ianuarie, februarie, martie, aprilie, mai, iunie, iulie, august, septembrie, octombrie, noiembrie, decembrie ^{(Category: ro:Months)}

Alternative forms

• matg (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran)
• meg (Puter)

Etymology

From Latin (mensis) Maius (“of May”).

Proper noun

mai m

1. (Vallader) May

Alternative forms

• ma-y, may — obsolete, Spanish-based orthography
• ma-i

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maˈʔi/ [mɐˈʔi]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: ma‧i

Noun

maí (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜁ) (obsolete)

1. word loaded with meaning

   Synonym: wikang malaman

   may maing salita ― has a word loaded with meaning

Further reading

• “mai”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de, Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860) Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves‎ (in Spanish), Manila: Ramirez y Giraudier

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈma.i]

Adverb

mai

1. even

   botoboto mai ioho, lado mai ioho ― they even ate grasshoppers, they even ate eels

   ngofa-ngofa amoi ua mai kado ― not even one child came

   ngori pipi cabu mai ua ― I have no money at all (literally, “my money, even a little is not”)

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi, compare Malay mari.

Verb

mai

1. to come

Particle

mai

1. perchance

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈma.i]
• Hyphenation: ma‧i

Preposition

mai

1. from
   • 1948, Tūlāfono fakavae a Tokelau [Constitution of Tokelau]‎, page 1:

     Mai te kāloā, ko nā tālaaga ki nā fenua o Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo, ma Olohega na fauhia kē fai ma o matou kāiga.

     From the ancient times, of the tales, the islands of Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo and Olohega You created together, as our home.

Particle

mai

1. Indicates the motion of the action of the preceding verb towards the speaker; towards, to

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎, Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 199

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *mai, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *um-aʀi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mai/

Verb

mai

1. to come

Further reading

• Ross, Malcolm D. (2003) Andrew Pawley, editor, The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic: Volume 2, The Physical Environment, Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN, →OCLC; republished as Meredith Osmond, editor, (Please provide a date or year)

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) For the connection between "first part of the day" and "day after this one", compare Germanic equivalents such as English morn(ning) and morrow, Dutch morgen, Romance ones such as French demain and Italian domani, and Japanese 明日 and 朝 (ashita).

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 梅 (“Chinese plum”).

Etymology 3

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

Etymology 4

Cognate with Muong Bi bai.

Etymology 5

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 媒 (SV: môi).

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian май (maj).

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑi̯/, [ˈmɑi̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑi̯
• Hyphenation: mai

Noun

mai

1. May

References

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

Etymology

From mae (“it is”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /mai̯/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ma/, /mə/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /mai̯/
• Homophone: Mai; mae (South Wales)

Conjunction

mai

1. (formal and North Wales colloquial) that (introduces a noun clause, marking it for emphasis)

   Mae’n dweud mai athro yw ef. (formal)

   He says that he is a teacher.

   Mae o’n deud mai athro ’dy o. (North Wales, colloquial)

   He says that he is a teacher.

   • 2012 April 27, “Uchafbwynt Uwchgynghrair Rygbi”, in BBC Cymru Fyw‎:

     Byddai buddugoliaeth i Bontypridd yn sicrhau mai nhw fydd yn gorffen y tymor ar frig y tabl.

     Victory for Pontypridd would ensure that they finish the season at the top of the table.

Etymology

Cognate with Ternate mari (“stone”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.i/

Noun

mai

1. stone

References

• James Collins (1982) Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎, Pacific linguistics
• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics (as may)

Verb

mai

1. Alternative form of mye
   • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 21-23:

     Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam,

     The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 114

Etymology 1

Etymology 2

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 45