North Levantine Arabic edit

Pronunciation edit

  This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Etymology 1 edit

From a diminutive of Arabic أَخ (ʔaḵ). Compare also بي (bayy, father) vis-à-vis Arabic أَب (ʔab).

Noun edit

خي (ḵayym (plural إخوة (ʔiḵwe) or إخوات (ʔiḵwāt), feminine إخت (ʔiḵt))

  1. (Lebanon) brother
    Synonym: أخ (ʔaḵḵ)
Usage notes edit
  • Curiously, خيات (ḵayyāt) is only a valid plural of إخت (ʔiḵt, sister), even though the rhyming word بي (bayy, father) takes the plural بيات (bayyāt).

Etymology 2 edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection edit

خي (ḵayy)

  1. relief! (expressing pleasure with a sudden absence of stress or noise)
    • 2005, Stavro Jabra, التمثيل الناقص [The missing representative]‎[1], Lebanon, archived from the original on 2019-11-11:
      خَيّْ... خلصنا من أَول جنرال...
      ḵayy... ḵluṣna min ʾawwal jinirāl...
      Thank goodness... we've gotten rid of the first general...