CS Knowledge Base

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

• IPA^(key): /ðei/

cei

1. who, whom (what person)

   O cei oqori? O cei li?

   Who's there? Who could that be?

   O cei na nomu koro?

   What is the name of your village?

   (literally, “Who is the name of your village?”)

2. whom (to who) [with vei]

   Vei cei me'u solia?

   Whom should I give it to?

cei

1. whose (of whom)

   Nei cei na iyaya oqo?

   Whose belongings are these?

This interrogative pronoun is always preceded by a particle at the beginning of a question, typically o for the subject form, nei for the possessive form or vei for the dative form.

• cava (“what, which, why”)

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “cei”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[1], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 44

From Proto-Loloish *can¹ (Bradley). Cognate with Nuosu ꍯ (che), Burmese ဆန် (hcan).

• IPA^(key): [tsʰe³³]

cei

1. (Yao'an) rice plant, paddy

cei

1. nonstandard spelling of cèi

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃej/
• Rhymes: -ej

cei

1. masculine plural of cel (nominative and accusative)

cei m pl

1. masculine plural of ceo

• IPA^(key): /kei̯/
• Rhymes: -ei̯

Borrowed from Middle English key keye (cognate with Breton kae, Cornish kay). Doublet of cae.

cei m (plural ceiau)

1. quay

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “cei”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Inflected form of cael (“to have”).

• caiff (imperative; literary)
• cymer (imperative; colloquial)

cei

1. inflection of cael:
   1. second-person singular present indicative/future
   2. second-person singular imperative colloquial