Where does “vaʻalele” come from?

vaʻalele (Samoan) comes from Samoan lele, from Proto-Polynesian lele, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laʀiv.

vaʻalele (Samoan): airplane

Definitions

  1. airplane

Ancestry of “vaʻalele”, step by step

vaʻalele traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Samoan lele

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Samoanleleto fly
2Proto-Polynesianleleto fly
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*laʀiv—

via Samoan vaʻa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Samoanvaʻacanoe, boat
2Proto-Polynesianwakacanoe
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laʀiv →Every word from Proto-Polynesian lele →Every word from Samoan lele →
vaʻalele — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer