noun
lai
leye
noun
1
A short medieval narrative poem, often about love or adventure, popular in French and English literature.
"The scholar translated a twelfth-century lai about a knight and a fairy."
"Marie de France is famous for her collection of lais."
How to Use Lai
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old style of short narrative poem, mostly known from medieval French literature.
When to use it
A specialist literary term, rarely used outside discussions of medieval poetry.
Word Forms
lais plural
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The scholar translated a twelfth-century _____ about a knight and a fairy.
Etymology
From Old French lai ("song, poem"), ultimately from a Germanic word meaning "play" or "melody" — related to "lake" in its old sense of "to play".