balai

See also: bālai, bălai, bălăi, bälai, and Ba Lai

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈlaʔi/ [baˈl̪aː.ʔi]
• Hyphenation: ba‧la‧i

Noun

balai

1. godmother

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay balai (polis) (“police station”),

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bâ-lái

---

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Penang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bâ-lái
    • Tâi-lô: bâ-lái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: balae
    • Sinological IPA (Penang): /ba²³⁻²¹ lai⁴⁴⁵/

Noun

balai

1. (Penang Hokkien) romanization of 峇唻 / 峇𫪁 (bā-lâi, “police station”)

   • 我去balai報馬打。 [Penang Hokkien, trad.]
     我去balai报马打。 [Penang Hokkien, simp.]

     From: 講福建話運動

     Óa khì balai pò má-tâ. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     I went to the police station to make a police report.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 警察局 (“police station”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		警察局, 警局, 公安局 Mainland China
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	公安局, 警察局
	Taiwan	警察局, 警局
	Malaysia	警察局, balai
	Singapore	警察局
Cantonese	Guangzhou	警察局, 警局
	Hong Kong	差館, 警署, 警局, 差局, 狗屋 derogatory
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	馬打寮
	Penang (Guangfu)	馬打寮
	Ipoh (Guangfu)	馬打寮
	Singapore (Guangfu)	馬打寮
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	警察局
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	警察局
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	警察局
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	警察局, 巡查局
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	警察局
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	巡查局
	Senai (Huiyang)	馬打寮
Southern Min	Tainan	警察局
	Penang (Hokkien)	峇唻, balai, 馬打厝, 馬打間, 馬打寮
	Singapore (Hokkien)	馬打厝
	Manila (Hokkien)	兵局, 警察局
	Puning	公安局
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	馬打寮, 馬打厝
	Penang (Teochew)	馬打厝
	Singapore (Teochew)	馬打厝

Esperanto

Etymology

A verbal formation from French balai, from Gaulish balatno and Gaulish banatlo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈlai/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ai
• Syllabification: ba‧la‧i

Verb

balai (present balaas, past balais, future balaos, conditional balaus, volitive balau)

1. to sweep

Conjugation

Conjugation of balai

		present		past		future
		singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
tense		balaas		balais		balaos
active participle		balaanta	balaantaj	balainta	balaintaj	balaonta	balaontaj
	acc.	balaantan	balaantajn	balaintan	balaintajn	balaontan	balaontajn
passive participle		balaata	balaataj	balaita	balaitaj	balaota	balaotaj
	acc.	balaatan	balaatajn	balaitan	balaitajn	balaotan	balaotajn
nominal active participle		balaanto	balaantoj	balainto	balaintoj	balaonto	balaontoj
	acc.	balaanton	balaantojn	balainton	balaintojn	balaonton	balaontojn
nominal passive participle		balaato	balaatoj	balaito	balaitoj	balaoto	balaotoj
	acc.	balaaton	balaatojn	balaiton	balaitojn	balaoton	balaotojn
adverbial active participle		balaante		balainte		balaonte
adverbial passive participle		balaate		balaite		balaote
		infinitive	balai	imperative	balau	conditional	balaus

Derived terms

• balailo

Further reading

• “balai”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “balai”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French balai, from earlier balain (“bundle of broom”, 12th c.), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *banatlo- (“broom plant”). It is uncertain whether the Celtic word passed into French through a Gaulish *balano- or rather through Middle Breton balain, balazn, from Old Breton balan. The latter appears more likely.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.lɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Saint-Maurice-de-Beynost)):

  (file)

• Audio (Canada (Shawinigan)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Agen)):

  (file)

• Homophones: balais, ballet, ballets

Noun

balai m (plural balais)

1. broom
2. broomstick flown by witches
3. (colloquial) the last bus or train (at night)
4. tail (of a bird of prey)
5. brush (electrical contact)
6. blade (of windscreen wiper)
7. (slang) year (used in referring to someone’s age)

   Elle a quarante balais ― She’s forty

   • 2006, Virginie Despentes, “Coucher avec l'ennemi”, in King Kong Théorie [King Kong Theory], Éditions Grasset, →ISBN, page 61:

     Je regardais les femmes plus vieilles que moi, toute une vie à bosser comme ça, pour gagner des SMIC à peine améliorés et à cinquante balais se faire engueuler par le chef de rayon parce qu'on sort trop souvent pisser.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• avoir un balai dans le cul
• con comme un balai
• donner un coup de balai
• du balai
• fou comme un balai
• manche à balai
• voiture-balai

Descendants

• Guianese Creole: balé
• Haitian Creole: bale
• → Esperanto: balai

Further reading

• “balai”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay balai, from Proto-Malayic *balay, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay. Semantic loan from Minangkabau balai for sense of market.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbalai̯/ [ˈba.lai̯]
• Rhymes: -alai̯
• Syllabification: ba‧lai

Noun

balai (plural balai-balai)

1. public hall, balei

   Synonym: paseban

2. building

   Synonym: gedung

3. office or bureau

   Synonyms: biro, kantor

4. house of parliament
5. (dated) house in a palace
6. market

   Synonyms: pasar, pekan

Derived terms

• berbalai

Related terms

• balairung

Compounds

• balai adat
• balai agung
• balai angin
• balai anglurah
• balai apit
• balai astaka
• balai bahasa
• balai banjar
• balai basarah
• balai bayu
• balai bendul
• balai bengong
• balai benih
• balai besar
• balai bini
• balai budaya
• balai bujang
• balai dagang
• balai derma
• balai desa
• balai diskonto
• balai etek
• balai gadih
• balai gading
• balai gede
• balai gendang
• balai gong
• balai harta peninggalan
• balai kambang
• balai kembang
• balai kerajaan
• balai kesehatan
• balai kesenian
• balai kliring
• balai kota
• balai kulkul
• balai laki
• balai larangan
• balai latihan kerja
• balai lelang
• balai madat
• balai mentera
• balai mukun
• balai mungo
• balai obligasi
• balai pancapersada
• balai parsantian
• balai pasentulan
• balai patok
• balai pawedan
• balai pebogan
• balai pelik
• balai pelukatan
• balai pemaksan
• balai pengamatan
• balai penghadapan
• balai pengobatan
• balai penyuluhan
• balai peranginan
• balai perguruan tinggi
• balai pertemuan
• balai petandingan
• balai petemu
• balai pingkupan
• balai prajurit
• balai rakyat
• balai rendah
• balai riung
• balai riung agung
• balai riwut
• balai romak
• balai sari
• balai serbaguna
• balai sidang
• balai sindang
• balai surin
• balai tengah
• balai tinggi
• balai wartawan
• balai yasa

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Gorontalo [Term?].

Pronunciation

(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /baˈlai/ [baˈla.i]
• Rhymes: -ai
• Syllabification: ba‧la‧i

Noun

balai (plural balai-balai)

1. cattle tick

Further reading

• “balai”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Kabuverdianu

Alternative forms

• balói (Barlavento)

Etymology

Derived from Portuguese balaio.

Noun

balai

1. (Sotavento) basket

References

• Gonçalves, Manuel (2015), Capeverdean Creole-English dictionary (overall work in English), Mili Mila, →ISBN
• Veiga, Manuel (2012), Dicionário Caboverdiano-Português, Instituto da Biblioteca Nacional e do Livro

Malay

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *balay, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay. Compare with Māori whare and Hawaiian hale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbalaj/ [ˈba.lai̯]

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alai̯, -lai̯, -ai̯
• Hyphenation: ba‧lai

Noun

balai (Jawi spelling بالاي, plural balai-balai)

1. hall, station, large building for public uses, balei
2. (possibly obsolete) house

   Synonym: rumah

3. (dialectal) veranda, a front part of traditional house
4. (Malaysia, colloquial) clipping of balai polis (“police station”)

Derived terms

• balai polis
• balai raya
• balairong seri

Descendants

• > Indonesian: balai (inherited)
• → Hokkien: 峇唻 / 峇𫪁 (bā-lâi, “police station”), balai
• → Hokkien: 峇厘 (bâ-lî, “small junk cabin”)
• → Teochew: 峇厘 (bha⁷ li⁵)

Further reading

• "balai" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "balai" at PRPM first version)

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈpalaj/

Verb

balai

1. third-person singular past indicative of ballat

Occitan

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Celtic *banatlo- (“broom plant”). It is uncertain whether the Celtic word passed into Occitan via French through a Gaulish *balano- or rather through Middle Breton balain, balazn, from Old Breton balan. The latter appears more likely.

Noun

balai m (plural balais) (Limousin)

1. broom

   Synonyms: escoba, baleja, remà, coive, engranièra, engranièira

Portuguese

Verb

balai

1. second-person plural imperative of balar

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /baˈlaʔi/ [bɐˈlaː.ʔɪ]
• Rhymes: -aʔi
• Syllabification: ba‧la‧i

Noun

balai (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜁ)

1. obsolete spelling of balae