Where does “hōʻā” come from?

hōʻā (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian ʻā, from Proto-Polynesian *kaha.

hōʻā (Hawaiian): to burn, set on fire, ignite, alight

Definitions

  1. to burn, set on fire, ignite, alight

Ancestry of “hōʻā”, step by step

hōʻā traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian ʻā

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianʻāfire, burning
2Proto-Polynesian*kaha—

via Hawaiian ā

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianāwhen, at the same time as; until, to; as far as
Every word from Proto-Polynesian *kaha →Every word from Hawaiian ʻā →
hōʻā — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer