Where does “heleāiʻa” come from?

heleāiʻa (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian iʻa, from Proto-Polynesian ika, from Proto-Oceanic ikan, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian ikan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian hikan, from Proto-Austronesian Sikan — fish.

heleāiʻa (Hawaiian): to swim like a fish

Definitions

  1. to swim like a fish

Ancestry of “heleāiʻa”, step by step

heleāiʻa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian iʻa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianiʻafish vertebrate animal
2Proto-Polynesianikafish
3Proto-Oceanicikanfish
4Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianikanfish
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesianhikanfish
6Proto-AustronesianSikanfish

via Hawaiian hele

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianheleto walk, move
2Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiansele—
Every word from Proto-Austronesian Sikan →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian hikan →Every word from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian ikan →
heleāiʻa — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer