Where does “lāʻau hihi” come from?

lāʻau hihi (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian lāʻau, from Proto-Polynesian raqakau, from Proto-Oceanic raqan kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian daqan kahiw — wood branch.

lāʻau hihi (Hawaiian): vine

Definitions

  1. vine

Ancestry of “lāʻau hihi”, step by step

lāʻau hihi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian lāʻau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianlāʻautree, wood; medicine; wooden
2Proto-Polynesianraqakauwood; tree
3Proto-Oceanicraqan kayuwood; tree
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesiandaqan kahiwwood branch

via Hawaiian hihi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianhihito entangle, to intertwine
2Proto-Polynesian*fifi
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian daqan kahiwEvery word from Proto-Oceanic raqan kayuEvery word from Proto-Polynesian raqakau