Thai

PluralThai, Thais

1. 1
   adjective

   Relating to Thailand, its people, language, or culture.

   Thai temples are famous for their golden spires and steep roofs.

   Many Thai customs show deep respect for elders.

   Note

   The name English borrowed from the language itself: Thai ไทย (tai), the same source that gives English its doublets Tai and Dai. As an adjective it compares like an ordinary descriptive word (more Thai, most Thai) when it means "characteristic of Thailand" rather than simply "from Thailand": a dish can be more Thai than another, but a researcher is just Thai.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   A native or inhabitant of Thailand.

   The Thai seated beside me on the flight recommended several night markets.

   Thais often greet one another with a slight bow called the wai.

   Note

   Two plurals sit side by side here. Thais is the regular form (two Thais on the flight), but the unchanged plural Thai is also correct. Russell H. Fifield's The Diplomacy of Southeast Asia (1958) writes of "pro-Communist Thai in Southeast Asia." Either may be used, though Thais is less likely to be misread as the adjective.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The principal language spoken in Thailand, a close relative of the Lao language.

   He speaks Thai fluently after a decade in Bangkok.

   Street signs in the capital appear in both Thai and English.

   Note

   A tonal language of the Kra-Dai family, written in its own abugida script and partly intelligible to speakers of Lao. As the name of a language it takes no article and no plural: you speak Thai and write in Thai. That keeps it distinct from the word for a person, where a Thai means one of the people.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   The traditional cuisine of Thailand and its style of cooking.

   There's a small place downtown that serves wonderfully authentic Thai.

   She often cooks Thai at home using fresh lemongrass and chilies.

5. 5
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A breed of domestic cat, regarded as the traditional or old-style Siamese.

   The Thai is prized for its affectionate and talkative nature.

   Breeders tell the Thai from the modern Siamese by its rounder head.

Showing meanings only. Show all 5