Where does “ʻawa” come from?
ʻawa (Hawaiian) comes from Proto-Polynesian kawa, from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ — root.
ʻawa (Hawaiian): kava (Piper methysticum)
Ancestry of “ʻawa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | kawa | kava, bitterness; bitter, sour |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | *kawaʀ | potent root root of a plant with strong properties: e.g. ginger |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | *wakaʀ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *wakaʀ | root |
Words derived from “ʻawa”