Where does “Kalawaiʻa” come from?
Kalawaiʻa (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian lawaiʻa, from Hawaiian iʻa, from Proto-Polynesian ika, from Proto-Oceanic ikan, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian ikan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian hikan, from Proto-Austronesian Sikan — fish.
Ancestry of “Kalawaiʻa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | lawaiʻa | fisherman; fishing; cormorant |
| 2 | Hawaiian | iʻa | — |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | ika | fish |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | ikan | fish |
| 5 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | ikan | fish |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | hikan | fish |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | Sikan | fish |