shaka

English

The shaka

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Shaka is not a word in the Hawaiian language, which lacks the /ʃ/ sound.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɑːkə/
• Rhymes: -ɑːkə

Noun

shaka (plural shakas)

1. A greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist. Used to express a variety of positive meanings including "all right", "hello" and "goodbye".
   • 2008, December 27, photo caption, Reuters:

     US President-elect Obama flashes the 'shaka' before he greets a crowd […]

Usage notes

• Associated with Hawaii and with sports such as surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and skydiving.

Synonyms

• hang-loose sign

See also

• Shaka sign on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Khasa, Sakha, hakas, kasha

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Albanian

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ottoman Turkish [script needed] (şaka, “joke”). Others propose (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *yek- (“to speak”). Compare Latin iocus (“joke, jest”), Italian gioco (“game, prank, joke”) (compare the Apulian dialect word sheik (“joke, prank”)), Old High German jehan, Welsh iaith, Breton jez.

Noun

shaka f (plural shaka, definite shakaja, definite plural shakatë)

1. a joke, prank

Synonyms

• hokë
• tallje
• shpoti

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɛ.ka/ ~ /ʃe.ka/
• Homophones: shakas, shakât

Verb

shaka

1. third-person singular past historic of shaker

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Ladino

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Turkish şaka (“joke”).

Noun

shaka f (Latin spelling)

1. joke (thing said to amuse)

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Swahili

Etymology

From Arabic شَكّ (šakk).

Noun

shaka (n class, plural shaka) or shaka (ma class, plural mashaka)

1. doubt
2. worry
3. (computing) error

Related terms

• -shuku