kula

British

/ ˈkuːlə /

noun

a ceremonial gift exchange practised among a group of islanders in the W Pacific, used to establish relations between islands

"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

Etymology

Origin of kula

of Melanesian origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These include samples of wahine noho kula, a rare violet thought to be extinct on Kauaʻi and only recently rediscovered by the surveying drone.

From Reuters • Dec. 10, 2022

Our friend Edward Digwaleu from Watts Island turned out to be one of the greatest kula “champions.”

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2011

The locals have a special boathouse on the beach for their largest kula trading canoe.

From New York Times • Oct. 28, 2011

Instead of joining a megachurch, you join the Anusara kula, Sanskrit for family.

From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2010

Ike aku i ke kula i'a o Ka-wai-nui.

From Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Emerson, Nathaniel Bright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023