Glossary of Hawaiian Words

E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi! (Long live the Hawaiian language!)

Terms are listed in the order they appear in the book. All definitions and mistakes are my own. 

ka Malanai: Name of the gentle wind that blows through Kailua, Oʻahu.

Alakaʻi: Name of a swamp in Kokeʻe, Kauaʻi, famously traveled by Queen Emma after the deaths of both her husband and only son. Alakaʻi also means leader, to lead, to guide, and so on.

lehua: The delicate flower of the ʻōhiʻa tree, Metrosideros polymorpha.

ʻiwa: A beautiful, large soaring bird, the Great Frigatebird, Fregata minor.

limu: A general name for many underwater plants and algae, but most commonly used to refer to seaweed.

paʻiʻai: A food made from pounding and mixing water with the cooked corm of the kalo, also known as the taro plant. Similar to poi, but less watery.

Kulu: The name of a moon phase. Also means to drip, or to pass time.

naupaka: An indigenous coastal shrub, Scaevola sericea.

ʻopihi: A general term for all species of Hawaiian limpets.

Olomana, Pakuʻi, and Ahiki: The names of the three peaks on a distinctive mountain in Kailua.