lai
n. countablen. a short poem or song from the Middle Ages that tells a story about love or adventure. These were popular in France and England hundreds of years ago.
n. a short narrative or lyrical poem, typically in octosyllabic couplets, popular in medieval French and English literature. Often associated with the Breton tradition of romantic or supernatural storytelling.
The poet sang a beautiful lai about a brave knight.
Scholars often study the Breton lai to understand how medieval writers blended folk magic with courtly romance.
The manuscript contains several anonymous examples of the lai, each demonstrating the characteristic brevity and emotional intensity that distinguished the form from longer contemporary romances.
Borrowed from Lai Lai.
From Chinese 賴／赖 (lài) (Mandarin: lài, Cantonese: laai⁶, Hakka: lai).
From Cantonese 黎 (lai4).
Often appears in the specific phrase 'Breton lai' when referring to the Celtic-inspired literary tradition.