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kāhili. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
kāhili, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
kāhili in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Hawaiian
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *taafiri (compare with Maori tāwhiri and tāhiri (both meaning “to beckon, to wave, to welcome”) plus Tahitian tāhiri and tāhirihiri (both meaning “fan”)).[1] Also reanalysed as kā + hili.[2]
Pronunciation
Noun
kāhili
- feather standard mounted on a pole, as traditionally used in Hawaii on ceremonial occasions
- crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), an ornamental plant from Asia
- Hedychium gardnerianum, plant related to ginger native to the Himalayas but widely grown and invasive elsewhere in warm climates
- Synonym: ʻawapuhi kāhili
Verb
kāhili
- to brush, to sweep
- to switch
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- ^ Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “taa-firi”, in POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online
- ^ Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “kāhili”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, revised & enlarged edition, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN, page 112