Hawaiian Kingdom

American  

[huh-wahy-uhn king-duhm, -wah-yuhn] / həˈwaɪ ən ˈkɪŋ dəm, -ˈwɑ yən /

noun

1. a former sovereign nation of the North Pacific formed in 1795, which by 1810 comprised the entire Hawaiian archipelago: overthrown in 1893 by an illegal coup d’état led in large part by Americans with business interests in Hawaii.

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Etymology

Origin of Hawaiian Kingdom

First recorded in 1840–45

Example Sentences

Little remains to remind a visitor that this was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 19th century under King Kamehameha II. But the flames didn’t claim everything.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2024

The Aug. 8 wildfire, the deadliest in U.S. history, leveled Lahaina, the one-time capital of the former Hawaiian Kingdom, and killed at least 100 people.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024

Located on the northwest coast of Maui, it had once been the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the island chain became a US State in 1959.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2023

Lahaina was built along the shore where Maui's western volcano slopes down into the Pacific Ocean, and it was the former seat of the Hawaiian Kingdom before becoming a popular tourist destination.

From Reuters • Sep. 8, 2023

The politics of the Hawaiian Kingdom are not very exciting.

From Northern California, Oregon, and the Sandwich Islands by Nordhoff, Charles