Chai
चाय
CHYE
Indian tea, usually brewed strong with milk, sugar and spices.
Meaning & usage
In India, "chai" simply means tea — but the everyday Indian chai is a particular thing: black tea leaves boiled with milk, plenty of sugar and often ginger and cardamom (in which case it is "masala chai"). It is the social and economic lubricant of the country; office cups, station kettles and tea-stall glasses are all chai. The Anglicised "chai tea" is redundant — it means "tea tea".
In a sentence
The cutting chai at the corner stall is what makes the office morning go.
Common spelling variants
- Chaai
- Chay
Chai is the canonical English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.