vải

See also: vai, Vai, vaî, văi, vãi, vại, and va'i

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [vaːj˧˨]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaːj˨˩˦] ~ [jaːj˨˩˦]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *k-paːs, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kpaas (“cotton”). Attested as ꞗĕải, ꞗải in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). Cognate with Muong pái, Bahnar kơpaih, Pacoh capaih, Khasi kynphad.

Compare Sanskrit कर्पास (karpāsa) and Old Chinese 布 (OC *pˤa-s) (B-S), both of which are probably Austroasiatic loans. Doublet of bố (as in vải bố).

Noun

vải • (𦃿, 𡲫, 𢅄, 罢, 󰬸, 𬘊)

cloth, fabric

Etymology 2

Attested as ꞗĕải, ꞗải in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

Compare Proto-Katuic *kpias (“lychee”) (whence Pacoh cupiêih).

Unlike what some modern sources seem to suggest, there is little to no evidence that lệ chi (荔枝 (lìzhī)) was used as a word for "lychee" in Vietnamese, even historically. This confusion is most likely due speakers' conflation between Written Chinese texts and actual Vietnamese texts.

Noun

(classifier cây, trái, quả) vải • (𣞻, 𣘓)

lychee