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Definition of chai

chai

/tʃaɪ/
chai
Plural:chais
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chai Lexical Profile

chai Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A flavored beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs, typically served hot with milk and sugar.

Example

"She ordered a warm, spicy chai to sip on while reading her book at the cafe."

2

The generic term for tea in various parts of the world, particularly in South Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Example

"In India, street vendors known as chaiwallahs sell small cups of sweet, milky chai to passersby."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for chai

Word Nuance & Usage

In Western contexts, the beverage is often redundantly referred to as 'chai tea', which literally translates to 'tea tea', as 'chai' is the generic word for tea in Hindi and many other languages.

• Rhymes for chai

• Nearby Words

chaffinch
chaffwax
chaffweed
chai
chain
chair
chalcedonyx

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed into English in the early 20th century, derived from Hindi 'cāy', via Persian 'chāy', ultimately from the Mandarin Chinese word 'chá' (tea).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Chai. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 18, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/chai
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