Meaning and Origin
What does the name Lai mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
User Submitted Meanings
- A user from Switzerland says the name Lai is of Chinese origin and means "Beautiful in Cantonese".
- A submission from the United Kingdom says the name Lai means "To trust" and is of Chinese origin.
- A user from South Africa says the name Lai means "Future".
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 *loig-, *(e)laiǵ- (“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.
- (historical) A mostly North European form of medieval song, with stanzas that do not repeat.
lai was also found in the following language(s): Aromanian, Estonian, French, Istriot, Latvian, Lojban, Mandarin, Maroon Spirit Language, Old French, Romanian, Romansch, Welsh, and Zhuang