ʻaʻā

See also: 'a'ā and Appendix:Variations of "aa"

Hawaiian

FWOTD – 16 November 2012

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaˈʔaː/, [ʔəˈʔaː]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *kakaha (“to burn”) (compare with Maori kakā, Tongan kakaha and Samoan ʻaʻasa) from Proto-Polynesian *kaha (“to burn”) (compare with Hawaiian ʻā, Rapa Nui kā).

Glowing ʻaʻā flow front advancing over pāhoehoe on the coastal plain of Kilauea in Hawaiʻi, United States.

Noun

ʻaʻā

1. aa, a type of lava
2. (figuratively) fury

Derived terms

• ʻaʻaʻā (“lava cave”)

Descendants

• English: aa
• French: aa

Verb

ʻaʻā

1. (intransitive) to burn, glow
2. (stative) to be covered in lava, to be stony
3. (stative, figuratively) to be angry

Derived terms

• hōʻaʻā

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• ʻā

Noun

ʻaʻā

1. young damselfish

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “ʻaʻā”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press