hula
[hoo-luh]
- a sinuous Hawaiian native dance with intricate arm movements that tell a story in pantomime, usually danced to rhythmic drumming and accompanied by chanting.
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Origin of hula
Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1815–25
Also called hu·la-hu·la.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hula
Contemporary Examples
That results in Ed Henry hula dancing on-air and other fluff segments.
And then they burst through the door and come running into the room as I'm delivering the speech, in their hula skirts.
Historical Examples
Ohe (-he)--bamboo; a flute; a variety of the hula (pp. 135, 145).
Unwritten Literature of HawaiiNathaniel Bright Emerson
Ku'i (ku'i)--to smite; to beat; the name of a hula (p. 250).
Unwritten Literature of HawaiiNathaniel Bright Emerson
It was he also who introduced into the hula the kakeke as an instrument of music.
Unwritten Literature of HawaiiNathaniel Bright Emerson
For an account of the first hula we may look to the story of Pele.
Unwritten Literature of HawaiiNathaniel Bright Emerson
In truth, the actors in the hula no longer suit the action to the word.
Unwritten Literature of HawaiiNathaniel Bright Emerson
hula
hula-hula
- a Hawaiian dance performed by a woman
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Word Origin
from Hawaiian
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
Word Origin and History for hula
n.
"traditional dance of Hawaii," 1825, from Hawaiian. As a verb from 1952. Hula hoop first recorded in fall of 1958, when it was a craze; so called from resemblance of motions of one using it to the dancers' hip circles.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper