lai

[ley]

noun

1. (in medieval French literature)

2. a narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets and dealing with tales of adventure and romance.

3. a lyric poem, often a love poem, having great metrical variety and designed to be sung to a popular melody.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lai¹

1200–50; Middle English < Old French. See lay ⁴

Example Sentences

We only wish the Nobel committee had made her a co-winner with Jimmy Lai, the publisher who’s been a political prisoner in Hong Kong for his fight for democracy.

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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Friday to speed up construction of a multi-layered air defence system as part of efforts to counter "enemy threats".

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Lai's speech followed a bruising year for the president, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty who is loathed by Beijing.

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Lai's government has been under US pressure to improve its ability to defend itself against a potential attack by China, which claims the island is part of its territory.

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"We will accelerate our building of the T-Dome, establish a rigorous air defence system in Taiwan with multi-layered defence, high-level detection, and effective interception," Lai said during Taiwan's National Day celebrations.

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