Where does “canaque” come from?
canaque (Portuguese) comes from French canaque, from English kanaka, from Hawaiian kanaka, from Proto-Polynesian taŋata, from Proto-Oceanic *tamʷata.
canaque (Portuguese): Kanak; of or related to the Kanak people
Definitions
- Kanak; of or related to the Kanak people
Ancestry of “canaque”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | canaque | Kanak |
| 2 | English | kanaka | A person of Hawaiian descent; A South Pacific... |
| 3 | Hawaiian | kanaka | human being; subject, retainer; a Hawaiian |
| 4 | Proto-Polynesian | taŋata | man, person |
| 5 | Proto-Oceanic | *tamʷata | — |