Where does “pohutukawa” come from?
pohutukawa (English) comes from Maori pōhutukawa, from Maori kawa, from Proto-Polynesian kawa, from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ.
pohutukawa (English): Metrosideros excelsa, a coastal evergreen tree...
Definitions
- Metrosideros excelsa, a coastal evergreen tree...
Ancestry of “pohutukawa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | pōhutukawa | — |
| 2 | Maori | kawa | sour; a ceremony to remove tapu from a new house... |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | kawa | kava, bitterness; bitter, sour |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | *kawaʀ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Oceanic | *wakaʀ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *wakaʀ | — |