Where does “Mahiʻai” come from?
Mahiʻai (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian ʻai, from Proto-Polynesian kai, from Proto-Oceanic kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kaən, from Proto-Austronesian kaən — to eat.
Ancestry of “Mahiʻai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | ʻai | food; in particular, any food that is not fish;... |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | kai | food |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | kani | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | kaən | to eat |
| 5 | Proto-Austronesian | kaən | to eat |