Author Archives: Liana

1. vs. Fragrant, sweet-smelling, perfumed; fragrance, perfume (preceded by ke). Fig., esteemed chiefly. Mea ʻala, ointment, perfume. Ke ʻala kūpaoa, a strong heady fragrance. Ke ʻala punia, a fragrance so strong that it causes dizziness. Cf. ʻaʻala. hō.ʻala To perfume. (PNP kala.) Esteemed chiefly. Imagine that. ʻAla not … Continue reading →

1. Younger brother or sister or closely related younger cousin, often spoken affectionately.  hoʻopōkiʻi –  To claim a pōkiʻi relationship; to behave as a pōkiʻi. (PEP pootiki.) The word, pōkiʻi, in and of itself, gives a glimpse into the Hawaiian culture.  There is … Continue reading →

n. Airplane, flying ship. Ma ka mokulele, by air. Let’s take this word apart – moku – ship, district or island. lele – to fly. Flying ship. Or flying island. That kind of says it right? Gives a good visual. And a … Continue reading →

1. vi. To go for a walk, ride, or sail; to go out for pleasure, stroll, promenade. Holoholo wale, ride anywhere or aimlessly, stray. He pule holoholo ʻana, a continuous prayer. E holoholo ana ma ka mahina ʻai (Kin. 3.8), walking in the garden. hoʻo.holo.holo To … Continue reading →

1. nvt. To destroy, as by fire or lava flow. Fig., quick, deft (as after lima); greedy, lecherous. See ex., one ʻā, ʻowāhi.  Still going with the lau theme, I was reminded of a line in the male, Puʻu ʻOniʻoni, a hula dedicated … Continue reading →

n. A fragrant fern (Phymatosorus scolopendria syn. Microsorium scolopendria); when crushed, its fragrance suggests that of maile; famous for its fragrance an Kauaʻi (see lauaʻe 2). Pieces were strung in pandanus lei between the keys. See chant, punia. (Neal 27.) … Continue reading →

1. nvt. Wrapping, wrapped package; packages of ti leaves or banana leaves containing pork, beef, salted fish, or taro tops, baked in the ground oven, steamed or broiled; any cloth, net, or leaves used as a wrapper or carrier; to … Continue reading →

4. num. To be much, many; very many, numerous; four hundred. Cf. kini, mano.  hoʻo.lau To make numerous; to assemble, as of numerous persons or animals; numerous. (PPN rau.) Yesterday we learned about lau, as in leaf. Today, lau refers to a number. … Continue reading →

1. nvi. Leaf, frond, leaflet, greens; to leaf out. Lau is sometimes contracted to lā-, as lāʻī, lāʻie, lāʻō. hoʻo.lau To grow leaves; to leaf out. (PPN lau.) I so enjoyed last week’s focus on ulu/ʻulu, I thought I would give a … Continue reading →

1.  Dark, or dense as growth.  2.  Sudden sickness or stroke, the sign of which is a rooster crowing at untimely hours; such crowing was also believed to indicate the arrival of visitors or a ship.  3.  A fish said … Continue reading →