Where does “hōkūnaʻi” come from?

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

hōkūnaʻi (Hawaiian): asteroid

Definitions

  1. asteroid

Ancestry of “hōkūnaʻi”, step by step

hōkūnaʻi 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 naʻi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiiannaʻiconquest
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bituqənEvery word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian bituqənEvery word from Proto-Oceanic *pituqun