The laia () is a two-pronged type of foot-plough used in the Basque Country. Aside from being a farming implement, it is also used in laia racing. The people using a laia are referred to as laiariak in Basque.
Etymology
The word is also attested as lai, without the absolutive endingLhande, Pierre Dictionnaire Basque-Français et Français-Basque Paris 1926Azkue, Resurrección María de (1905) Diccionario Vasco Español Frances repr. Bilbao 1984 but is mainly used in the form of laia today. Other forms include lain (Oiartzun) and laixa (Eibar).Agud, M. & Tovar, A. Diccionario Etimológico Vasco VII Korpa-Orloi Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa (1995) Beyond that the etymology is not entirely clear, but a connection with names for other forked implements in other neighbouring Romance languages such as the Béarnese word layà (a forked instrument for gathering chestnuts) seems plausible.
See also Foot plough Loy
References
External links Laya race in Artaxao