Where does “mea pāʻani” come from?

mea pāʻani (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian mea, from Proto-Polynesian mea, from Proto-Oceanic meʀaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)iʀaq — red.

mea pāʻani (Hawaiian): plaything, toy

Definitions

  1. plaything, toy

Ancestry of “mea pāʻani”, step by step

mea pāʻani traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian mea

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianmeathing, object; person; Reddish, as water full of...
2Proto-Polynesianmea—
3Proto-Oceanicmeʀaqred having red as its colour
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesian(ma-)iʀaqred

via Hawaiian pāʻani

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianpāʻaniplay, sport, game, amusement, fun
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)iʀaq →Every word from Proto-Oceanic meʀaq →Every word from Proto-Polynesian mea →