kahuna
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See also: kāhuna
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Hawaiian kahuna (“shaman, wizard”).
Pronunciation
Noun
kahuna (plural kahunas or kahuna)
- (Hawaii) A priest or priestess of the traditional Hawaiian religion.
- 2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 230:
- They were kāhuna, practitioners of the old Hawaiian religion, apparently offering themselves as sacrifices to appease the gods so that the queen would be restored.
- (surfing) A great surfer.
Derived terms
Anagrams
Hawaiian
Etymology
Compound of kahu (“guardian, master”) + -na (nominalizing suffix; compare Maori -nga).
Pronunciation
Noun
kahuna (irregular plural kāhuna)
- priest, sorcerer, magician, minister, wizard
- expert in any profession (doctors, surgeons, dentists were referred to as such in the 1845 laws)
Derived terms
Descendants
- → English: kahuna