hula

[hoo-luh]

noun

a sinuous Hawaiian native dance with intricate arm movements that tell a story in pantomime, usually danced to rhythmic drumming and accompanied by chanting.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for hula

That results in Ed Henry hula dancing on-air and other fluff segments.
Lindsey Graham on Bracing for 2012 and More Sunday Talk|The Daily Beast Video|January 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And then they burst through the door and come running into the room as I'm delivering the speech, in their hula skirts.
Suzy Welch Dishes|Tina Brown|April 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
At Hula, my house had been entered, but the few things stolen were mostly returned.
Adventures in New Guinea|James Chalmers
This story was told in verse, sung to the tune of "Mauna Kea," a hula dance.
The Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines|Isabel Anderson

Ellis gives a quotable description of this hula, which he calls the "hura ka raau:"
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii|Nathaniel Bright Emerson
For an account of the first hula we may look to the story of Pele.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii|Nathaniel Bright Emerson
They seize in their right hand the hula gourd, clattering with pebbles inside.
Hawaiian Folk Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hula

hula

hula-hula

noun

a Hawaiian dance performed by a woman

Word Origin for hula

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

hula

"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.