Where does “ʻaumakua” come from?
ʻaumakua (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian ʻau, from Proto-Polynesian kau, from Proto-Oceanic kayu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw — wood; tree.
ʻaumakua (Hawaiian): family god
Ancestry of “ʻaumakua”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | ʻau | handle, stem, stalk; long bone of arm or leg; a... |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | kau | wood; tree |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | kayu | wood; tree |
| 4 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | kayu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | kayu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | kahiw | wood; tree |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | kaSiw | wood; tree |