myaiz

Zhuang

FWOTD – 31 March 2023

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *laːjᴬ (“saliva”); cognate with Bouyei naaiz. The irregular initial, which points to *ml-, is possibly due to rebracketing the -m from *C̬.namꟲ (“water”); compare Thai น้ำลาย (náam-laai, “saliva”), Bouyei ramxnaaiz.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /mʲaːi˧˩/
• Tone numbers: myai²
• Hyphenation: myaiz

Noun

myaiz (Sawndip forms 㵋 or 𱧮 or 𭉚, 1957–1982 spelling myaiƨ)

1. saliva; spit; phlegm

   Synonym: (dialectal) naiz

   • 2016, Gij Baujcingq Moq Caeuq Geij Bonj Gij Baujcingq Daeuzdaeuz [The New Testament with A Few Books of the Old Testament], Hong Kong: New Bridge Publishing Company Limited, →ISBN, Yozhanq Saw [John] 9:6:

     Yehsuh gangj sat doenghgij vah neix le, couh byiq myaiz roengz lajdoem bae, couh aeu gij myaiz de ma caeuq doem nuz baenz naez hwj swk haeuj cehra boux rafangz mwnq bae.

     When [Jesus] had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay

   • 2017, Zhou Yanxian, editor, Two Thousand Zhuang Proverbs from China with Annotations and Chinese and English Translation, New York: Peter Lang, →ISBN, page 121:

     Lauxbaeg vaq myaiz siu heiqraeng, duhheu gaij ngunh dwg ceiq ndei.

     Radishes help to reduce phlegm and flatulence, mung breans work best to clear away summer heat.