lehua
Americannoun
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Also called ohia lehua. a tree, Metrosideros villosa, of the Hawaiian islands, yielding a hard wood.
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the bright-red, corymbose flower of this tree.
Etymology
Origin of lehua
Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1885–90
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.
Ohia lehua trees felled by the lava flows smoldered under the cloudy sky.
From New York Times • May 17, 2018
“People today still say, ‘Don’t pick the lehua flower or it’ll rain’ — the heavens will cry because you’ve separated the two lovers,” Mr. Haiku said.
From New York Times • Dec. 2, 2011
Our ‘ōhi‘a lehua, with bright red flowers exploding like fireworks amid the dusty green leaves.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Aye Puna's a land of splendor, Proudly bedight with palm and lehua; Beauteous above, but horrid below, And miry the plain of Mau-kele. 10Apua upturned, plod on to Mau-kele.
From Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Emerson, Nathaniel Bright
Ua moani lehua a'e la mauka; Kani lehua iluna o Kupa-koili, 5I ka o ia i ka lau o ka hala, Ke poo o ka hala o ke aku'i.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
