li

Initialism of English logarithmic integral.

li

1. (mathematics) The symbol for the logarithmic integral function.

Clipping of English Limburgish or Dutch and Limburgish Limburgs.

li

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Limburgish.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Limburgish terms

li

1. Alternative letter-case form of LI

• IPA^(key): /liː/
• enPR: lē

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː

An early romanization of Chinese Mandarin 里 (lǐ). As a Korean unit, via the Yale romanization of Korean 리 (ri), from the Chinese distance.

• (Korea): ri

li (plural lis or li)

1. The Chinese mile, a traditional unit of distance equal to 1500 chis or 150 zhangs, now standardized as a half-kilometer (500 meters).

   Synonyms: Chinese mile, tricent

   • 1927, Chi Li, “Archaeological Survey of the Fêng River Valley, Southern Shansi, China”, in Explorations and Field-work of the Smithsonian Institution in 1926 (Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections)‎^[2], volume 78, number 7, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, →OCLC, page 129:

     It was a whole day's journey from I-ch'eng to Chü-wo which, in turn, is about 60 li east of Chiang Chou — one of the most important cities in southern Shansi and a center for curio-dealers.

   • 1999 [1994], Zou Heng (邹衡), “The Early Jin State Capital Discovered: a Personal Account”, in Roderick Whitfield, Wang Tao, transl., Exploring China's Past: New Discoveries and Studies in Archaeology and Art‎^[3], Saffron Books, Eastern Art Publishing, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 106:

     In 1979, while we were conducting our archaeological work in Yucheng and Quwo, Shanxi province, I noticed another historical record in the Kuodizhi (a comprehensive account of geography written in 641), which stated that "the ancient city of Tang was 20 li west of Yuchengxian in Jiangzhou."

   • 2000, Chen Shui-Bian, “Learning and Transformation”, in David J. Toman, transl., The Son of Taiwan: The Life of Chen Shui-Bian and His Dreams for Taiwan‎^[4], Taiwan Publishing Co., Ltd., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 40:

     The two gods who accompany Matsu, one with eyes that can see 1000 li⁶ and the other with ears that can hear far over the horizon, represent empathy, observation, and feeling. Government should be like Matsu, equipped with acute powers of observation; see clearly to the bottom of issues, and know how to respond.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:li.
2. The Korean mile, a traditional unit of distance equivalent to about 393 m.

   Synonym: Korean mile

   • 1980, Kim Il Sung, “Meeting with My Comrades-in-Arms in North Manchuria”, in Kim Il Sung Works‎^[5], volume 48, Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House, →OCLC, page 144:

     While scaling the Laoyeling Mountains, the Chinese Worker-Peasant Red Army, under the command of Mao Ze-dong and Zhu De, was successfully stepping up the historic 25 000-li Long March in China proper, breaking through the surrounding rings formed by Chiang Kai-shek’s army.

From Mandarin 市厘 (lí).

li (plural li)

1. A traditional Chinese unit of weight, equal to one-thousandth of a liang, or fifty milligrams.

From Mandarin 禮 / 礼 (lǐ).

li (plural li)

1. (Chinese philosophy) A meaningful ceremony or ritual; etiquette, behaviour.

From Mandarin 鬲 (lì).

li (plural li)

1. An ancient Chinese cauldron having three hollow legs.

Altered from la, with the vowel changed to signify a raised note.

li (uncountable)

1. (music) In solfège, the raised sixth note of a major scale (the note A-sharp in the fixed-do system).

   Synonyms: A-sharp, B-flat, ta, te

• I'l, IL, il-

Orel suggests from South Slavic, compare Serbo-Croatian lȉh (“exclusive”), lȋh (“false, odd”), Slovene lȋh (“uneven, odd”).^[1] However, generally thought to be from Ancient Greek εὐλογία (eulogía) "blessing", with a euphemistic sense development.^[2][3] Compare e.g. the euphemistic synonym "e lume" (the happy/blessed one)^[4]

• lijë

li f (definite lia)

1. (uncountable) pox
2. olive scab, peacock spot (Cycloconium oleaginum)

   Synonym: sypallua

Borrowed through Vulgar Latin from Latin līnum.

li m (definite liri)

1. flax

From Latin ille (“that one”).

li

1. him (indirect object)

• le

From Latin illis, dative common plural of ille. Compare Romanian le.

li f (short/unstressed accusative form of eali)

1. (direct object) them (all-female group)

• lã (feminine/masculine plural dative- short/unstressed form)
• u (feminine singular accusative- short/unstressed form)
• (a) lor (feminine/masculine plural dative- long/stressed form)

Inherited from Latin illī, dative common singular of ille.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [li]
• Rhymes: -i

li (enclitic and proclitic)

1. him, her, it (indirect object, singular all genders)

   doneu-li una moneda ― give him/her a coin

From Middle Cornish ly, from Proto-Brythonic *lüngiβ̃ (“breakfast”), from Proto-Celtic *long-ī-mā. Cognate with Breton lein (“breakfast”).

li f (plural livyow)

1. lunch

   Synonyms: kroust, liv

From Proto-Brythonic *lluɣ, from Proto-Celtic *lugyom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewgʰ-. Cognate with Welsh llw. Doublet of ti.

li m (plural liow)

1. oath

   Synonym: ti

From Latin illi, masculine plural of ille, from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian gli (“the, them”) and Romanian îi (“them”).

li

1. him, her (indirect object)
2. them (indirect object)
3. archaic form of i

li

1. archaic form of i

• https://infcor.adecec.net/

From Old Norse hlíð. Phonetically influenced by Norwegian. Related to the noun below. Cognates include German Leite, Latin clivus and Ancient Greek κλειτύς (kleitús).

• IPA^(key): [ˈliˀ]

li c (singular definite lien, plural indefinite lier)

1. (poetic, rare) A sloping mountainside or hillside covered with grass or forest.

From Old Danish lith, from Old Norse hlið. Phonetically influenced by Norwegian, the native version would be lide. Merged with led (“way, direction”).

li c (singular definite lien, plural indefinite lier)

1. (obsolete) side, edge

• “li” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “li” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

• Audio:

  (file)

li m (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. li (Chinese unit of distance)

From Italian lui, French lui, or Spanish le, plus the i of personal pronouns.

• IPA^(key): /li/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: li

li (accusative lin, possessive lia)

1. (personal pronoun) he

• Li is traditionally used as both a masculine and a gender-neutral pronoun, but since the 1970s generic usage has sometimes been criticized and is increasingly being avoided and replaced by "ĝi" and or "oni" and or "li aŭ ŝi". Some people (reformists) think this is an imperfect solution which is inappropriately long. In response to such criticisms, there have been various proposals for new pronouns, but the only proposal that has been gaining some adoption is ri.

• (person whose gender is unknown): ĝi, oni, ri, ŝli

• ili (“they”) (plural)

• “li”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “li”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

• IPA^(key): /li/

  • Audio (Nancy):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Homophones: lient, lies, lis, lit, lits, lys

Borrowed from Mandarin 里 (lǐ).

li m (plural lis)

1. li (Chinese unit of distance)

Probably from influence of Louisiana Creole li (“he, she, it”).

li (second person singular, objective case)

1. (Louisiana) him
2. (Louisiana) it

• “li”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

• il

li

1. (reintegrationist norm) first-person singular preterite indicative of ler

From Portuguese ali. Cognate with Kabuverdianu li.

li

1. here

• IPA^(key): /li/

From French lui.

li (contracted form l)

1. he
2. him
3. she
4. her
5. it

From French lire.

li

1. to read

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[6], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 116

From lu (“he, him, she, her, it, that”) +‎ -i (“-s; plural”).

li pl

1. they, them

• ili (“they, them”, masculine)
• eli (“they, them”, feminine)
• oli (“they, them”, neuter)

li

1. masculine plural definite article
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40:

     Ti me pari oûna dea infra li dai,

     You seem to me a goddess among the gods

From Latin illī, nominative masculine plural of ille.

• -li (enclitic, as a pronoun)

• IPA^(key): ^°/li/^°
• Homophone: lì
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: li
• As an unstressed clitic, it does not trigger syntactic gemination of the following consonant. It also actively blocks syntactic gemination of its initial consonant, such as after a word like però (“but”) that would normally trigger syntactic gemination. (This does not apply to the enclitic form -li, e.g. dalli a me (“give them to me”).)

li m pl

1. (accusative) them (masculine)

   Li ricordo. ― I remember them.

• Never elides.

li m pl (singular lo)

1. (archaic or dialectal) the (masculine plural definite article), sometimes untranslated, depending on context
   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto I”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 67–69; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Rispuosemi: "Non omo, omo già fui, / e li parenti miei furon lombardi, / mantoani per patrïa ambedui.

     He [Virgil] replied to me: "Not a man; I once was a man, and my parents were Lombard, both of them Mantuan by country.["]

     (literally, “He answered me: "Not a man, a man I already was, and the parents of mine were Lombard, Mantuan by country both.”)

   • 1350s, anonymous author, “De papa Benedetto e dello tetto de Santo Pietro de Roma lo quale fu renovato [About pope Benedict, and about the roof of Saint Peter in Rome, which was renovated]” (chapter 7), in Cronica [Chronicle]‎^[7] (overall work in Old Italian); republished as Giuseppe Porta, editor, Anonimo romano - Cronica, Adelphi, 1979, →ISBN:

     Allora mutao favella lo papa e disse: «E conveose allo abbate dello venerabile monistero de Santo Pavolo essere buffone? Va’ per li fatti tuoi!» (Romanesco)

     Then the pope changed his tone, and said: "And is it appropriate for the abbot of the venerable monastery of Saint Paul to be a buffoon? Get out of here!"

     (literally, “Then changed speech the pope and said: "And it is appropriate for the abbot of the venerable monastery of Saint Paul to be a buffoon? Go about the business of yours!"”)

2. (archaic) alternative form of gli
3. the (used in dates in letters, although usually substituted by lì)

   Roma, li 15 settembre 2025 ― Rome, the 15th of September 2025

li m pl (singular lo)

1. (dative, archaic) alternative form of gli
   1. (to) him
      • 1350s, anonymous author, “De papa Benedetto e dello tetto de Santo Pietro de Roma lo quale fu renovato [About pope Benedict, and about the roof of Saint Peter in Rome, which was renovated]” (chapter 7), in Cronica [Chronicle]‎^[8] (overall work in Old Italian); republished as Giuseppe Porta, editor, Anonimo romano - Cronica, Adelphi, 1979, →ISBN:

        E·lla soa paura non potéo nasconnere, ca subitamente la mesa della varva li deventao canuta. (Romanesco)

        And he was unable to hide his fear, for half of his beard immediately turned white

        (literally, “And the fear of his he could not hide, because immediately the half of the beard to him became white.”)

      • mid 1560s [29–19 BCE], “Libro quarto”, in Annibale Caro, transl., Eneide, translation of Aeneis by Publius Vergilius Maro (in Classical Latin), lines 400–403; republished as L’Eneide di Virgilio‎^[9], Florence: G. Barbera, 1892:

        Nè ’l vide pria, che li fu sopra, e disse: / Tu te ne stai sì neghittosamente, / Enea […]

        And he did not see him before he was above him, and said: "You stand there so idly, Aeneas["]

        (literally, “Nor he saw him before, that to him he was above, and said: "You stand there so so idly, Aeneas["]”)

   2. (to) them
      • 1350s, anonymous author, “Como frate Venturino venne a Roma colle palommelle e dello campanile de Santo Pietro lo quale fu arzo. [About how fra Venturino came to Rome with doves, and about the bell tower of St. Peter that was burned down]” (chapter 6), in Cronica [Chronicle]‎^[10] (overall work in Old Italian); republished as Giuseppe Porta, editor, Anonimo romano - Cronica, Adelphi, 1979, →ISBN:

        L’abito, lo quale questo frate Venturino li avea dato, era che questi portavano una gonnella bianca, longa, passata mesa gamma. (Romanesco)

        The clothing this fra Venturino had given them was [such] that they wore a long white skirt, [going] beyond the middle of the leg.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

li

1. misspelling of lì

• il, il-

li

1. Rōmaji transcription of り゚
2. Rōmaji transcription of リ゚

Cognate to Önge li.

• IPA^(key): /li/

li

1. this, these

   Synonym: lijə (“this here, this”)

   Coordinate term: luwə (“that”)

   li aːw ʈʰi talu.

   This bow is long.

li

1. this, these, this one, these ones

   Coordinate term: luwə (“that”)

   li topo t-ita-b.

   He ate the snake.

   li aːw.

   This is a bow.

• Kumar, Pramod (2012) Descriptive and Typological Study of Jarawa^[11] (PhD). Jawaharlal Nehru University. Page 85, 101—102.

From Portuguese ali.

li

1. here

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *lii, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tV-lij. Cognate to Burmese လေး (le:, “bow”) and S'gaw Karen ချံၣ် (khleè, “bow”).

• IPA^(key): /li˥/

li

1. crossbow

• K. E. Herr (2011), The phonological interpretation of minor syllables, applied to Lemi Chin‎^[12], Payap University, page 45

li

1. second-person singular imperative of lǟdõ

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “May be unrelated to French "il" or "lui".”)

• IPA^(key): /li/
• Rhymes: -i

li (third-person singular, plural yé, objective li, possessive sô, emphatic sokin, sochin)

1. he
2. him
3. she
4. her
5. it

• → French: li

From Proto-Athabaskan *liˑ (“to sing”). Cognate with Ahtna lii.

li

1. to sing, expect

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Durative	li	li'	liɬ	li'
Neuter	li	li'	liɬ	li'
Repetitive	lik	lik	lik	lik
Momentaneous	liyh	lik	leɬ	liyh

• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, pages 279-281

• illi (after a word-final consonant cluster)

From Arabic اَلَّذِي (allaḏī, relative pronoun). Compare common dialectal Arabic اللي (illi, lli). The use as a conjunction is widely found in Maghrebi Arabic, so there is no reason to consider it a Romance influence (as might otherwise be thought; compare Italian che, which is both a relative pronoun and the conjunction “that”).

• IPA^(key): /lɪ/
• Rhymes: -ɪ

li

1. (relative) who; which; that

   Dan huwa r-raġel li seraq il-karozza. ― That’s the man who stole the car.

   Din hija ħaġa li tħawwadni. ― This is something that confuses me.

   • 2018, Antoinette Borg, Amina, Merlin Publishers, →ISBN:

     Imnalla għajjatlu Fredu u kellu jwaqqaf l-eloġju ta’ nannuh, għax naħseb l-istorja li kien imiss kienet li għandu xi gżira privata.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• Unlike standard Arabic, the relative pronoun is normally used also with indefinite referents (example sentence 2). However, it is optional in this case.

li

1. that

   Nixtieq ngħidilha li nħobbha. ― I want to tell her that I love her.

li (li⁵ / li⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄧ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 哩
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 裏 / 里
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 裡 / 里
4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 里

li

1. nonstandard spelling of lī
2. nonstandard spelling of lí
3. nonstandard spelling of lǐ
4. nonstandard spelling of lì

• 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.

From French le, lui.

li

1. he, she, it (third-person singular personal pronoun)

From French le.

• IPA^(key): [lɪ]

li m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural lii)

1. the

li

1. water

• Eduard Conzemius, Ethnographical Survey of the Miskito and Sumu Indians (1932)

li

1. woman

• Harrison, Sheldon P.; Albert, Salich Y. (1977), Mokilese-English Dictionary‎^[13], Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 132

from French lit (“bed”)

• IPA^(key): /lí/

li

1. bed

lí^[1]

1. here, there, thus, so

• IPA^(key): /i/

li

1. alternative form of 'i

li

1. the

From Old French li, from Vulgar Latin *illui, a Vulgar Latin dative of Classical Latin ille.

li

1. (Guernsey) him

Cognate with Central Kurdish لە (le), from earlier *ne < *en. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *en.

• Rhymes: -ɪ

Central Kurdish	لە (le)

li

1. on

   ew li hespekî siwar bû ― he/she mounted on a horse

2. at (time)

   li kêlîka dirust ― at the right moment

3. in (location, country, city)

   li Kurdistanê ― in Kurdistan

4. an element of several prepositions and circumpositions

• In most cases, "li" refers to on rather than in. The more south it goes the more the sense becomes much more extensive; in Central Kurdish encapsulating from, on, in, over, etc. as a whole. Around more Northern dialects, (li) ser ("on top") is used to mean on and in those regions "li" especially has the meaning of in, often times replacing di in "di ... de" ("in, inside"), compare li ... de.
• "li" can be added pretty much before any preposition except di, ji, bi; as in li ber, li pêş, li dijî, li hember, etc., all of which can be used without the li.

Inherited from Danish li (also lid), which partially continues Old Danish liidh, but was reinforced and phonetically influenced by dialectal Norwegian li. Both forms are from Old Norse hlíð, from Proto-Germanic *hlīdō.

• IPA^(key): /liː/

li f or m (definite singular lia or lien, indefinite plural lier, definite plural liene)

1. A sloping mountainside or hillside covered with grass or forest.

• “li” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• il

• IPA^(key): /liː/

From Old Norse hlíð, from Proto-Germanic *hlīdō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱleytéh₂ (“something leaned, inclined”).

• Lid, lid (obsolete spellings)

li f (definite singular lia, indefinite plural lier, definite plural liene)

1. a sloping mountainside or hillside covered with grass or forest.

From Old Norse líða, from Proto-Germanic *līþaną. The sense of suffering may be a loan from Middle Low German.

• lida, lide (long forms)

li (present tense lir, past tense lei, supine lidd or lidt or liden, past participle lidd or liden, present participle lidande, imperative li)

1. (intransitive, of time) to pass, elapse
2. (intransitive) to suffer
   1. (intransitive) to endure
   2. (intransitive) to tolerate, like

• lei
• leia, leie

• “li” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• il

• IPA^(key): /li/

From Latin illī (“those”). The use for the nominative singular is due to a Vulgar Latin alteration of ille under the influence of the pronoun quī (“who, which”). The same influence (through the dative cui) also explains the Vulgar Latin forms mentioned in etymology 2 below. Doublet of il (“he”).

li

1. the (masculine nominative singular and plural definite article)
   • c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     Li rois respont: "N'est pas mançonge"

     The king replied "this is no lie"

Either directly from Latin illī, dative singular of ille (“that one”), or from reduction of Old French lui, lei, themselves from Vulgar Latin *illui, *illei. This depends on whether the innovative forms had replaced illī entirely in Gaul or whether they existed side by side with it. Compare Italian gli, Spanish le, Portuguese lhe.

li

1. third-person singular indirect object pronoun; to him, to her, to it, chiefly atonic form of lui and lei
   • c. 1180, Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette:

     Si li ancomancent a dire

     He started to tell him

From Latin ille (“that”).

li

1. the (masculine nominative singular and plural definite article)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *li. First attested in 1395. Displaced by Polish czy.

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /lʲi/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /lʲi/

li

1. (attested in Lesser Poland, Greater Poland) interrogative particle: introduces a yes-no question
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, numbers 72, 11, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament]:

     Kaco bog we y iestli wedzene (si est scientia) na wysocosci?

     [Kako Bog wie? I jestli wiedzenie (si est scientia) na wysokości?]

   • 1959 [1395], Henryk Kowalewicz, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz, editors, Wielkopolskie roty sądowe XIV-XV wieku, Roty poznańskie, volume I, number 187, Poznań:

     Kedi w wogewodi bili, tedi go szø pitali, moszeli goscza dafnoszcø sbicz

     [Kiedy u wojewody byli, tedy go się pytali, możeli gościa dawnością zbyć]

   1. (when reduplicated, attested in Pomerania, Greater Poland) whether … or
      • 1930 [c. 1455], “I Reg”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 14, 37:

        Mamly boiowacz s Fylystinmy a podaszly ge (num persequar Philisthiim, si trades eos) w røce israhelske?

        [Mamli bojować z Filistynmi a podaszli je (num persequar Philisthiim, si trades eos) w ręce israhelskie?]

      • 1930 [c. 1455], “Ex”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 17, 7:

        Gestly pan w nas czyly nyczs (estne..., an non)?

        [Jestli Pan w nas, czyli nics (estne..., an non)?]

      • 1930 [c. 1455-1460], Ortyle magdeburskie Vrtel 116-120, page 118:

        Pytalysczye nasz...: Gyestly k themv mvrowanemv domv nyewyasthą blyszką, czyly thy tho dzyeczy, czyly prawo

        [Pytaliście nas...: Jestli k temu murowanemu domu niewiasta bliska, czyli ty to dzieci, czyli [co jest] prawo]

      • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[14], page 694:

        Nye vymy, gdzye y nam vyedzyono any vymy, yesczely zyw, albo yvzly vbyly

        [Nie wimy, gdzie ji nam wiedziono ani wimy, jeszczeli żyw, albo jużli ji ubili]

      • 1874-1891 [15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[15], [16], [17]}, volume XXIV, Grochów, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kcynia, page 68:

        Primo an liceat, moszeli, volnoli yest, secundo an deceat, podobnoli, tertio an expediat, pot[r]zebnoli

        [Primo an liceat, możeli, wolnoli jest, secundo an deceat, podobnoli, tertio an expediat, pot[r]zebnoli]

      • 1930 [c. 1455], “Num”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 13, 19:

        Opatrzicze... lvd, genze bydli w nyey, gestli silni, czili mdli, iestli mali, czili wyeliki (considerate... et populum, qui habitator est eius, utrum fortis sit, an infirmus, si pauci numero, an plures)

        [Opatrzycie... lud, jenże bydli w niej, jestli silny czyli mdły, jestli mały czyli wieliki (considerate... et populum, qui habitator est eius, utrum fortis sit, an infirmus, si pauci numero, an plures)]

      • 1861 [1427], Pismo poświęcone naukom, sztukom i przemysłowi‎^[18], volume III, Biblioteka Warszawska, page 40:

        Szescz czlowyekow ranyono, o pyancz gich mowyą tim rasem, szostego *wygmugyo, czso leszy we szmyertnich ranach, bo nye wem, bądzeli szyw, abo umrze

        [Sześć człowiekow raniono, a pięć jich mowią tym razem, szostego wyjmują, cso leży we śmiertnych ranach, bo nie wiem, będzieli żyw, abo umrze]

2. and; and also
   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[19], page 48:

     Czczyenye o tem, gdzye Marya vtenczasz byla, kyedy anyol k nyey przyschedl, czoly czynyla albo myslyla

     [Czcienie o tem, gdzie Maryja wtenczas była, kiedy anjoł k niej przyszedl, coli czyniła albo myśliła]

li

1. (attested in Lesser Poland) Introduces a conditional; if
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, numbers 129, 3, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament]:

     Bødzeszly lychoty chowacz (si iniquitates observaveris), pane, pane, kto sczyrzpy?

     [Będzieszli lichoty chować (si iniquitates observaveris), Panie, Panie, kto ścirzpi?]

   • 1895 [Fifteenth century], Franciszek Piekosiński, editor, Tłumaczenia polskie statutów ziemskich. Kodeks Działyńskich I‎^[20], Lesser Poland, page 9:

     Ktoricole... zaklad weszmye..., tho gest konye abo gynsze bydlo..., nye mayą... dzelicz myedzy sobą, ale gestly zymye (si autem hiemali), tedy za tydzen, a gestly lecze (si fuerit in aestivo tempore), tedy za dwie nyedzeli mayą bycz chowany

     [Ktorykole... zakład weźmie..., to jest konie abo jinsze bydło..., nie mają... dzielić miedzy sobą, ale jestli zimie (si autem hiemali, Sul 22: paknięli zimie), tedy za tydzień, a jestli lecie (si fuerit in aestivo tempore), tedy za dwie niedzieli mają być chowany]

• Polish: li

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “li”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000), “li”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “li”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈli/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: li

Inherited from Old Polish li.

li

1. (archaic, literary) interrogative particle: introduces a yes-no question

   Synonym: czy

2. (archaic, literary) only

   Synonyms: jedynie, tylko

3. (Middle Polish) emphasis particle

li

1. (obsolete) if

   Synonym: jeśli

2. (Middle Polish) since, because

   Synonym: skoro

3. (Middle Polish) though

   Synonyms: acz, aczkolwiek, chociaż, mimo że

4. (Middle Polish) when

   Synonym: kiedy

5. (Middle Polish) or

   Synonyms: albo, bądź, czy, lub

Borrowed from Mandarin 里 (lǐ).

li n (indeclinable)

1. li (Chinese unit of distance)
2. li (Chinese unit of weight)

From Mandarin 禮／礼 (lǐ).

li n (indeclinable)

1. li (meaningful ceremony or ritual)

• Maria Renata Mayenowa; Stanisław Rospond; Witold Taszycki; Stefan Hrabec; Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023), “li”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]

• “li”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[21] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “li”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[22] (in Polish)
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “li”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “li”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “li”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 2730
• Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “li”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: li
• Rhymes: -i

li

1. first-person singular preterite indicative of ler

li (plural le)

1. she

Ercolani, Libero (1971), Vocabolario Romagnolo-Italiano, Monte di Ravenna, page 232

li (dative form of ele, form of le)

1. to them

This word is used when le (which is dative) is combined with the following accusatives:

• îl (the accusative of el, contracted as li-l)
• îi (the accusative of ei, contracted as li-i)
• le (the accusative of ele)
• se (the reflexive accusative of all third-person pronouns)

• vi
• ni

• -lli (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is stressed)
• -ri (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is unstressed)

From Latin illī, illae, masculine and feminine plural forms of ille (“that”).

• IPA^(key): /li/, (after a word ending in a vowel) /ri/

li m pl or f pl

1. the (masculine and feminine plural)

• Becomes l' before a vowel.

li m pl or f pl

1. (followed by chi) those

   Di curori vi ni so umbè. Ca so li chi tu priferi?

   There are lots of colors. Which ones do you prefer?

   (literally, “Of colors there are a lot. Which ones are those which you prefer?”)

2. them (accusative)

   Abà li zerchu ― I'll look for them (literally, “Now I look for them”)

3. dative of eddu

   Li cuzinu la trìglia ― I'll prepare him mullet (literally, “I cook to him the mullet”)

4. dative of edda

   Li fozzu li frisgiori ― I'll prepare her some flapjacks (literally, “I make to her the flapjacks”)

5. dative of eddi

• Rubattu, Antoninu (2006), Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *li.

• IPA^(key): /li/

li (Cyrillic spelling ли)

1. question-forming interrogative particle (postpositive, unlike other particles, never first word in a sentence)

   poznaješ li me ― do you know me?

   jesi li stigao na odredište? ― did you reach the destination?

   jeste li ga vid(j)eli ― have you seen him?

   gd(j)e li se samo nalazimo? ― where could we be?

   kad li će doći? ― when will he/they come?

   je li? ― Is it? (Is that so? Isn't that so?)

2. used as conjunction with je (Croatia) or da (Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro)

   je/da li ― whether

   nemam pojma je/da li je došao ― I have no idea whether he came

3. (as a conjunction) if

   pokušaš li me napasti, ja ću ti uzvratiti ― should you try to attack me, I'll strike you back (when "li" is used in this sense, it is usually translated as a subjunctive form "should", and when "ako" is used, it is usually translated as "if" - ako me pokušaš napasti = if you try to attack me)

4. used as an emphatic intensifier

   a sn(ij)eg pada li pada ― the snow just keeps falling and falling...

   d(ij)ete plače li plače ― the child just keeps crying and crying...

• zar (interrogative particle)

• i

From the conflation of the apheresis of Latin illī and illae, both nominative plurals of ille.

• IPA^(key): /li/ (stressed)
• IPA^(key): /li/ (unstressed)

li m pl or f pl

1. (masculine and feminine plural definite article) the

   Synonym: i

• This article is nowadays an obsolete variant, unlike its illiquid counterpart i. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
• Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
• Its use is however almost undisputed before nouns (or nominalized forms of other parts of speech, most often adjectives) that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'. Otherwise, illiquid definite articles are phonetically absorbed by the following noun. I.e: l'arancini (liquid) and ârancini (illiquid).

From the conflation of the apheresis of Latin illī and illae, both nominative plurals of ille.

• -li (enclitic)
• i (illiquid form)

• IPA^(key): /li/ (stressed)
• IPA^(key): /li/ (unstressed)

li m pl or f pl

1. (accusative) them

   Synonym: i

   Li canusci? ― Do you know them?

2. (accusative) them, these or those thing

   Synonym: i

   Quannu ti li desi. ― When I gave them to you.

• This pronoun is now an obsolete variant. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
• Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
• Its use is however almost undisputed before words that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'.

li

1. romanization of 𒇷 (li)

Other scripts
Ajami	ـلِ

Inherited from Proto-Sabaki *-li, from Proto-Bantu *-dɪ̀ (“to be”).

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

-li

1. (archaic) to be
   • 1728, Bwana Mwengo wa Athman, Utenzi wa Hirqal [Epic of Heraclius]‎^[23], transliteration and translation from Knappert (1967)^[1]:

     كَمُيُبِنِ^[sic] نِلِ يُمَ اَوْ تِنِ كُطِلِيَا

     Hamuoni nili nyuma / au ṯini kutwelea.

     Do you not see that I am the last prophet / to descend on earth?

2. general relative positive degree stem of -wa, -wapo, -wako, or -wamo

   mambo yaliomo ― the things which are inside

In the present tense, -li was only used with locatives. In other cases, no copula was used. (The focus particle ni could appear, and later turned into a copula due to such use.) In other tenses, -li was used both with locatives and with other complements.^[2]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij.

li

1. four

• Zomi Ordbog based on the work of D.L. Haokip

• IPA^(key): /li/

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-dɪ̀ (“to be”, irregular verb). Cognate with Kikuyu -rĩ.

-li (defective)

1. to be, to exist

   Synonyms: -ba, ni

   Tuli Batooro. ― We are Tooro people.

   • 2008, Ekitabu Ekirukwera N'Ebitabu Ebyeetwa Deturokanoniko/Apokurifa [Bible in Runyoro/Rutooro Interconfessional Translation], Bible Society of Uganda, Okubanza 4:9:

     Aho MUKAMA yakaguza Kaini ati: “Abberi owanyoko ali nkaha?” Kaini yagarukamu ati: “Tindukumanya; ninyowe mulinzi w'Owanyina nyowe?”

     Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

2. to become

   Synonym: -ba

• Since this is a defective verb, it does not have many conjugations, and the remaining conjugations needed are constructed using -ba as an auxiliary verb. For example, the 1st person singular negative remote past of -li is nkaba ntali (literally, “I was not being”).
• This verb removes the augment of the noun after it (e.g. ndi manzi, not *ndi emanzi "I am a courageous person").
• The 3rd person singular present and 3rd person plural present forms are usually only used after a locative class or a place name. In other cases, the noun is almost always left augmentless (e.g. muntu "he/she is a person").

• -roho (“to be at/on something, to be present”)
• -rumu (“to be in something”)
• -liyo (“to be there”)
• -raha (“where is it?, where are they?”)
• -ruku-, -liku-

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *dɪ́á (“that, those”). Cognate with Swahili -le.

-li

1. that, those (distal demonstrative determiner)

• -nu (“this (proximal demonstrative determiner)”)

• Kaji, Shigeki (2007), A Rutooro Vocabulary‎^[24], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, pages 313-315, 409
• Entry 940 at Bantu Lexical Reconstructions 3
• Entry 945 at Bantu Lexical Reconstructions 3

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-dɪ̀ (“to be - irregular verb”).

-li (infinitive kuli)

1. to be

• -liri (“applicative form”)

• William Y. Turner (1996), Tumbuka/Tonga-English and English - Tumbuka/Tonga Dictionary‎^[25], Central Africana Limited, page 64

• ly

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [li˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɪj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [lɪj˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 璃 (“glass”).

(classifier cái) li

1. cup; glass

• chén; cốc; tách

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

li

1. a crease (a line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance)

li

1. Appended with a hyphen to a verb, it turns the entire clause it is in into a question.

• IPA^(key): /li/

li (after an open syllable and/or before a vowel: l', plural: les, plural after an open syllable and before a vowel: ls)

1. the

   Li mwaisse ― The master

   Li maistrece ― The mistress

   L' ome ― The man

   C' est li l' mwaisse ― He is the master

   Les måjhons ― The houses

   Les omes ― The men

   Çou sont ls åtes tchesteas ― These are the other castles

li

1. him, her, it (direct object, before verb)

   C' est li l' mwaisse ― It's him who's the master

• IPA^(key): /l̪i/

li

1. also

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[26], Pacific linguistics

• IPA^(key): /lí/

lí

1. The name of the Latin script letter L/l.

• (Latin-script letter names) lẹ́tà; á, bí, dí, é, ẹ́, fí, gí, gbì, hí, í, jí, kí, lí, mí, ní, ó, ọ́, pí, rí, sí, ṣí, tí, ú, wí, yí

Zou cardinal numbers

<  3	4	5  >
Cardinal : li

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *lii, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pV-lij. Cognates include Burmese လေး (le:) and Nuosu ꇖ (ly).

• IPA^(key): /lī/
• Hyphenation: li

li

1. four

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou (PhD thesis), Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40
• Philip Thanglienmang (2014), “Zou Tonology”, in Indian Linguistics, volume 75, numbers 1-2, →ISSN