Where does “Pōwehi” come from?

Pōwehi (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian pō, from Proto-Polynesian *po, from Proto-Oceanic boŋi, from Proto-Austronesian bəʀŋi.

Pōwehi (Hawaiian): the generative darkness of creation, from the Hawaiian creation chant Kumulipo

Definitions

  1. the generative darkness of creation, from the Hawaiian creation chant Kumulipo

Ancestry of “Pōwehi”, step by step

Pōwehi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian pō

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianpōnight
2Proto-Polynesian*po—
3Proto-Oceanicboŋi—
4Proto-Austronesianbəʀŋi—

via Hawaiian wehi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianwehiadornment; honorific for crowned nobles
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bəʀŋi →Every word from Proto-Oceanic boŋi →Every word from Proto-Polynesian *po →