Where does “Kahoʻolawe” come from?
Kahoʻolawe (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian hoʻolawe, from Hawaiian lawe, from Proto-Polynesian *lawe, from Proto-Oceanic *lawe.
Ancestry of “Kahoʻolawe”, step by step
Kahoʻolawe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Hawaiian hoʻolawe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | hoʻolawe | to deduct, to subtract |
| 2 | Hawaiian | lawe | bearer; to transport, carry, take, bring; to... |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | *lawe | — |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | *lawe | — |
via Hawaiian kā
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | kā | to strike, hit, thrust, dash, hurl; container;... |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | taʻa | — |
| 3 | Proto-Austronesian | taqan | to hold back; to keep in reserve |