ʻaʻa

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔa.ʔa/, [ˈʔɐ.ʔə]

Etymology 1

Verb

ʻaʻa

1. to brave, challenge, defy
2. to venture
3. to accept a challenge
4. to act wickedly
5. (stative) to be bold, brave, adventurous

Etymology 2

Noun

ʻaʻa

1. belt, waist

Verb

ʻaʻa

1. to tie on

Etymology 3

From Proto-Oceanic *kaka (“young coconut frond; coconut leaf sheath”). Compare Tahitian ʻaʻa, Maori kaka, Samoan ʻaʻa.

Noun

ʻaʻa

1. bag
2. pocket
3. caul
4. fiber from a coconut husk
5. coconut leaf sheath: a clothlike covering found on the bottom of a coconut frond
6. cloth
7. eyelid
8. chaff

Etymology 4

Noun

ʻaʻa

2. alternative form of ʻā (“booby”)

Etymology 5

Noun

ʻaʻa

2. alternative form of Maʻaʻa (“wind current in Lahaina”)

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “ʻaʻa”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press
• Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “KAKA.1A”, in POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online