JAI ALAI Meaning of JAI ALAI in English [ ˌhʌɪ ə'lʌɪ ]■ noun a game similar to pelota played with large curved wicker baskets.OriginSp., from Basque jai 'festival' + alai 'merry'. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004