Etymology Explorer › Hawaiian

Where does “ʻōhiʻa” come from?

ʻōhiʻa (Hawaiian) comes from Proto-Polynesian *kafika, from Hawaiian Kapika, from Hawaiian Tabita, from Aramaic טביתא — gazelle; roe, doe.

Ancestry of “ʻōhiʻa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesian*kafika—
2HawaiianKapika—
3HawaiianTabitaTabitha
4Aramaicטביתאgazelle; roe, doe

Words derived from “ʻōhiʻa”

  • ohia
Every word from Aramaic טביתא →