Where does “mokulele” come from?

mokulele (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian lele, from Proto-Polynesian lele, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laʀiv.

mokulele (Hawaiian): airplane

Definitions

  1. airplane

Ancestry of “mokulele”, step by step

mokulele traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Hawaiian lele

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianleleto jump, leap, hop, skip; to fly; to swing,...
2Proto-Polynesianleleto fly
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*laʀiv—

via Hawaiian moku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiianmokuan island, district, forest, section
2Proto-Polynesianmotuisland
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laʀiv →Every word from Proto-Polynesian lele →Every word from Hawaiian lele →