chai

noun

1. A female Romani.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable, usually)Ellipsis of masala chai, a beverage made with black teas, steamed milk and sweet spices, based loosely on Indian recipes.

   “‘So much for making chai,ʼ she teases, but lets him do the rest of the work. He adds the tea leaves to the boiling milk, then strains the liquid into cups.”

3. (India, uncountable, usually)Any tea beverage, but especially milk tea, regardless of whether it is spiced.

   “We were drinking some chai — the ashram version — watered down, boring, no spices, lots of water, just a smidgen of tea and even less milk.”

   “I fix myself a cup of chai - slightly strong black tea with just a touch of hot milk and no spices... the kind that Babuji would have liked on a morning like this — and sipping my chai, I walk barefoot on the moist grass in the backyard”

   “Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to chai - some people do not like any spices in their chai (just plain milk, water and tea) while others (like me!) cannot have their chai without spices.”

4. (Judaism)A Jewish symbol representing life, traditionally worn as an amulet.

   “Nothing hangs on the walls, though a stained-glass Hebrew chai leans against the window.”

   “Today, he [Drake] wears a diamond-studded Chai, a symbol of the Jewish word for life, and has his mother pressuring him to marry "a nice Jewish girl," according to Heeb magazine.”

   “Here in France, anti-Semitism is on the rise, and many Jews are hiding their identity in public so as not to be harmed. From what I hear and read, men and women are hiding their jewelry such as the Star of David or Chai, they do not speak about Israel loudly in the street, or men hide their kippah with a hat.”

5. A place above ground for storing wine casks.

   “The Kanon era lasted a mere 10 years, yet he had the château constructed, invested substantially in the vineyard and chais, and established the wine as one of the leading labels in the area.”

6. (rare, uncountable)Russian tea.

   “They say in New York that the aristocracy of the Back Bay can talk nothing but Tolstoi and drink nothing but chai (Russian tea).”

   “A reader can imagine sitting at Walter’s kitchen table, a cup of chai (Russian tea) at hand, listening to the white-haired gentleman recalling events.”

   “But our team leader informed us that we were headed to the orphanage for chai (Russian tea).”

7. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of chai (“Jewish symbol”).

name

1. A surname.