lehua

American  

[ley-hoo-ah] / leɪˈhu ɑ /

noun

1. Also called ohia lehua.  a tree, Metrosideros villosa, of the Hawaiian islands, yielding a hard wood.

2. the bright-red, corymbose flower of this tree.

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Etymology

Origin of lehua

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1885–90

Example Sentences

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

Waka returned and found that Paliula had gone away wandering in the forest, picking lehua flowers on the way up toward the Lua Pele, the volcano pit of Pele, the goddess of fire.

From Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology) Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian by Westervelt, W. D. (William Drake)

In contrast to his own distress, he points to the birds caroling in the trees, reveling in the nectar of lehua bloom, intoxicated with the scent of nature's garden.

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