Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
aloha. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
aloha, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
aloha in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
aloha you have here. The definition of the word
aloha will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
aloha, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Hawaiian aloha (“love”), from Proto-Polynesian *qarofa. Doublet of aroha and aropa.
Pronunciation
Noun
aloha (plural alohas)
- (Hawaii) Good wishes, love.
2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 91:Traveling as the princess regent with a retinue that included Princess Ruth and Queen Kapi‘olani, Lili‘u was welcomed by enormous crowds and lavish outpourings of aloha, as her subjects clasped her knees and kissed her hands and feet to show their reverence.
- (Hawaii) An utterance of aloha (see Interjection, below).
Derived terms
Interjection
aloha
- (chiefly Hawaii) Expressing good wishes when greeting or parting from someone; hello; goodbye.
Translations
Further reading
- “aloha”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Hawaiian
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *qarofa, from Proto-Oceanic *qalopan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaləpan, from Proto-Austronesian *qaləpan, from *qaləp (“to beckon, wave”). Cognate with Maori aroha.
Pronunciation
Interjection
aloha
- hello, greetings
Aloha kākou!- Hello everyone!
- goodbye, farewell
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Noun
aloha
- love, compassion, affection, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity
- greeting, salutation, regards
- sweetheart, lover, loved one
Verb
aloha
- (transitive) to love, be fond of
Aloha wau iā ʻoe- I love you.
- (transitive) to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection
- (transitive) to venerate
- (transitive) to remember with affection
- (transitive) to greet, hail
- (stative) to be loving, kind
- (stative) beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable
Further reading
- Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “aloha”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, revised & enlarged edition, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN