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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

kai en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori kai. Doublet of makan (via Malay) in Malaysian and Singaporean English varieties.

Meanings

  1. (Australia, New-Zealand, informal, uncountable) Food.
    • When the sausage man handed the kai over, Kerry passed two wieners to a pair of skinny white kids who had been watching the queue the whole time. 2018, Melissa Lucashenko, Too Much Lip, University of Queensland Press, published 2023, page 118:
    • Actually, I'm not sure I like these new hangis using the foil, it tends to stop the juices getting through to the stones and I reckon the hangi kai is drier to the palate. 1995, Graeme Williams, The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ:
    • Got to go now and get some kai. 2003, Carmen, “Is there really a censor in NZ?!”, in nz.general (Usenet):

Relateds

kai kai · koen-kai · tom kha kai · kai-kai · pok kai · kai-lan