Saterland Frisian

Noun

Wai m ‎(plural Weege)

1. way

English

Noun

wai ‎(plural wais)

1. A Thai greeting wherein the palms are brought together in front of the face or chest, sometimes accompanied with a bow.

Translations

Etymology 2

Phonetic respelling of why.

Adverb

wai ‎(not comparable)

1. (Internet slang) why (a purposeful misspelling)

Conjunction

wai

1. (Internet slang) why (a purposeful misspelling)

Anagrams

• IAW
• WIA

'Are'are

wai

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. fresh water (clear liquid H₂O)

Antonyms

• āsi ‎(“salt water”)

References

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Aka-Bea

Adverb

wai

1. indeed

References

• Edward Horace Man, A Dictionary of the South Andaman (Aka-Bea) language (1923)

Arosi

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Arthur Capell, Arosi grammar (1971), page 59: [Possessives of the] first and second persons precede the noun, whereas all others follow it, e.g. gugua wai, my drinking water, but wai 'ana, his drinking water.
• Sidney Herbert Ray, A Comparative Study of the Melanesian Island Languages (2014), page 481: wai "water"

Buli (Indonesia)

Numeral

wai

1. eight

References

• G. Maan, Proeve van een Bulische spraakkunst (1951)

Central Tagbanwa

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

wai ‎(Tagbanwa spelling ᝯᝡ)

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Robert A. Scebold, Central Tagbanwa: A Philippine Language on the Brink of Extinction : Sociolinguistics, Grammar, and Lexicon (2003)

Duri

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Language Documentation Training Center, Linguistic Society of Hawaii, Duri wordlist

Fijian

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Gothic

Romanization

wai

1. Romanization of 𐍅𐌰𐌹

Hawaiian

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvaj/, [ˈʋɐj]
• (rapid speech) IPA^(key): [ˈʋɛj]

Noun

wai

1. fresh water

Related terms

• kai
• waiwai

References

• William Churchill (1911) The Polynesian Wanderings: Tracks of the Migration Deduced
• “wai” in the Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and Enlarged Edition, University of Hawaii Press, 1986

Japanese

Romanization

wai

1. rōmaji reading of わい

Kambera

Etymology

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

Noun

wài

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Marian Klamer, A Grammar of Kambera

Kapingamarangi

Etymology

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.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Lamaholot

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Kunio Nishyama, Herman Kelen, A Grammar of Lamaholot, Eastern Indonesia: The Morphology and Syntax of the Lewoingu Dialect (2007)
• ABVD

Lau

Noun

wai

1. water

See also

• kafo

References

• Joel Bradshaw, Word order change in Papua New Guinea Austronesian languages (1982), page 126
• Walter George Ivens, Grammar and vocabulary of the Lau language, Solomon Islands (1921), page 55

Malay

wai

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wai/
• Rhymes: -ai, -i

Noun

wai

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

Synonyms

• alir
• alur
• batang
• bengawan
• ci
• kali
• sungai

Mamasa

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• David F. Matti, Mamasa Pronoun Sets (1994)

Mamuju

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Kari K. Stromme, Person Marking in the Mamuju Language (1994)

Mandarin

Romanization

wai (Zhuyin ㄨㄞ˙)

1. Pinyin transcription of 𠰻

wai

1. Nonstandard spelling of wāi.
2. Nonstandard spelling of wǎi.
3. Nonstandard spelling of wài.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Maori

Etymology 1

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.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. liquid

Derived terms

• hauwai
• wai māori

References

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

Etymology 2

Compare Tahitian vai.

Pronoun

wai

1. who?

Masiwang

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• ABVD

Nauete

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)

Neko

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Transnewguinea.org, citing McElhanon and Voorhoeve (1970)

Omba

Noun

wai

1. water

References

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

Oroha

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• W. G. Ivens, A Study of the Oroha Language, Mala, Solomon Islands, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, volume 4, number 3 (1927), page 610

Owa

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

Palu'e

Noun

wai

1. woman

References

• Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Pitjantjatjara

Adverb

wai

1. hey

Raga

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Malcolm Ross, ‎Andrew Pawley, ‎Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic (2007, ISBN 1921313196)

Sa'a

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

Sikaiana

Noun

wai

1. water

References

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

Tae'

Etymology

From Proto-South Sulawesi *wai, from Proto-Sunda-Sulawesi *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• ABVD

Tangoa

Etymology

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

Noun

wai

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Malcolm Ross, ‎Andrew Pawley, ‎Meredith Osmond, The Lexicon of Proto-Oceanic (2007, ISBN 1921313196)

Torres Strait Creole

Noun

wai

1. (eastern dialect) a coconut embryo

Synonyms

• musu (western dialect)

Usage notes

Wai (eastern dialect) or musu (western dialect) is the first stage of coconut growth. It is followed by giru (eastern dialect) or musu koknat (western dialect).

Viti

Noun

wai

1. water

References

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

Waima'a

Noun

wai

1. water

References

• Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)

Waropen

Noun

wai

1. Alternative form of ghai

References

• The Linguistic Situation in the Islands of Yapen, Kurudu, Nau and Miosnum, New Guinea (1961)