Lao

[lou]

noun

plural

Laos ,

plural

Lao .

1. a member of a people of Laos and northern Thailand.

2. the Tai language of the Lao.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Lao or their language.

LAO

¹

abbreviation

1. Laos (international car registration)

Lao

²

/ laʊ /

adjective

1. another name for Laotian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lao¹

First recorded in 1880–85; from Lao Láo, a self-designation

Example Sentences

Thammavongsa lives in Toronto, the city to which her Lao parents immigrated from a Thai refugee camp when she was a baby.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

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The hostel’s manager told the Associated Press that the two women were among more than 100 guests who received free shots of Lao vodka from the hostel.

Read more on BBC

Casualties surged this week after a flash food caused by the typhoon on Tuesday wiped out the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam’s Lao Cai province.

Read more on Salon

The market has expanded dramatically since the Chinese company Lao Gan Ma introduced its sauce in the 1980s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times