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• kona
  kona

  noun

  a southwesterly winter wind in Hawaii, often strong and bringing rain.
• Kona
  Kona

  noun

  a district along the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in southeastern Hawaii, divided administratively into North Kona and South Kona districts.

kona

¹ American  

[koh-nuh] / ˈkoʊ nə /

noun

1. a southwesterly winter wind in Hawaii, often strong and bringing rain.

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Kona ² American  

[koh-nah] / ˈkoʊ nɑ /

noun

1. a district along the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in southeastern Hawaii, divided administratively into North Kona and South Kona districts.

2. Official Name Kailua-Kona.  a town in North Kona district, and the largest town in the district of Kona: the first capital, 1795–1820, of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii.

3. Kona coffee.

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Etymology

Origin of kona¹

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1860–65

Origin of Kona²

From Hawaiian kona “leeward or dry side” (of the island)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kona Kona

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the entire state through Thursday as a kona low, or subtropical cyclone, west of the island chain generated moist and humid conditions.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

Previous studies indicate kona lows may happen less frequently as a result of climate change.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 7, 2021

"Aole wau e hiki aku," wahi a kona kaikuahine opiopio, "aia a pau loa makou i ka hoi pu me oe, alaila, hoi aku au."

From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Martha Warren Beckwith

Aka, he mea haohao nae ia i kona mau hoa ka uwe ana, a ua akaka kana kauoha "ua pono ole, laua."

From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Martha Warren Beckwith

I aku o Laieikawai i kona wahi kahu, "Pehea la kaua e ike ai i ke kane a'u a kuu kupunawahine i olelo mai nei?"

From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Martha Warren Beckwith

Several flights from LAX to Hawaii were canceled Saturday, including service to Kona, Maui, Kauai and Honolulu.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

At Ellison Onizuka Kona International - Big Island's largest airport - 40% of flights were grounded, according to flightaware.com, while 80% of flights were called off at the island's other main airport, Hilo International.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I note, “Kids listen when they are given trust and agency,” before taking off for Kona.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

The coffee farm, known as Kona Hills, got started in 2016 also.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

All of us, my uncle, his wife, Allie, Kona, Matilda, Sombo, and I, sat around the tray and ate the groundnut, listening to another recording of Leleh Gbomba’s.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah