Plural of bai; a term that may refer to merchants, traders, or marketplace-related items in certain contexts.
Possibly from Indian languages (Hindi/Sanskrit 'bai'), or variant of other trade-related terms. Without clear etymology, this appears to be either a borrowing from South Asian languages or a specialized technical term.
If this is from Hindi/Sanskrit roots, it shows how English borrowed commercial vocabulary from Indian languages during colonial trade—similar to how 'bazaar' and 'bungalow' entered English from South Asian sources.
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