Where does “hōkū kai” come from?

hōkū kai (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian hōkū, from Proto-Polynesian *fetuqu, from Proto-Oceanic *pituqun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian bituqən, from Proto-Austronesian bituqən — star.

hōkū kai (Hawaiian): starfish

Definitions

  1. starfish

Ancestry of “hōkū kai”, step by step

hōkū kai traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian hōkū

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianhōkūstar
2Proto-Polynesian*fetuqustar luminous celestial body
3Proto-Oceanic*pituqunstar luminous celestial body
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbituqənstar
5Proto-Austronesianbituqənstar

via Hawaiian Kai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1HawaiianKaisea
2Hawaiiankaisea; salt water; seaside, area near the sea,...
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bituqən →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian bituqən →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *pituqun →