Citations:sais

English citations of sais

1. (India) A groom, or servant with responsibility for the horses.
   • 2005, Ian [Hugh] Williams, Riding in Africa, New York, N.Y.: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN, page 35:

     Syce is an interesting word that is widely used in East Africa and derives from the Arabic sais meaning one who tends a horse. The Arab verb of which sais is the participle charmingly comes from the Syriac sausi meaning to coax, and that surely says it all when it comes to horses, and people, probably. As with many Arabic words sais was adopted by Hindustani and then became part of the Anglo-Indian vernacular during the British raj.

2. (Malaya, dated) usually syce: chauffeur, driver.
   • 1926, R[ichard] J[ohn] H[amilton] Sidney, Malay Land: "Tanah Malayu"; Some Phases of Life in Modern British Malaya, London: Cecil Palmer, →OCLC, page 216:

     It is sometimes a disadvantage having a servant who is a sais (chauffeur) as well, but by being careful in one's use of the car I have found that the system works very well.

   • 1949, Office of International Trade with Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, International Reference Service, volume 6, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 64:

     A married man with a family of three living in a private house with require in most cases a cook, houseboy, an amah (female servant) for washing and ironing, a second amah to take care of small children or infants, and one or possibly two gardeners depending on the size of the lot. A syce (chauffeur) is optional in each individual case. Cooks, houseboys, and amahs are usually Chinese, while gardeners and chauffeurs are Malay.