puka
[ poo-kuh ]
noun
a small white shell found on Pacific, especially Hawaiian, beaches and strung in clusters to make necklaces.
Origin of puka
1First recorded in 1970–75; of uncertain origin
Words Nearby puka
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use puka in a sentence
From the word puka, abrupt phenomenon, and the verb saugi, outflowing.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820 | Henry Rowe SchoolcraftWhen the kumu reached the door on his return, he made himself known by reciting a mele wehe puka, the conventional password.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii | Nathaniel Bright EmersonHere, in the dense puka and mangrove scrub, there was hope of safety.
Rodman The Boatsteerer And Other Stories | Louis Becke
British Dictionary definitions for puka
puka
/ (ˈpuːkɑː) /
Origin of puka
1Māori
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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