luau

[loo-ou, loo-ou]

noun

a feast of Hawaiian food, usually held outdoors and usually accompanied by Hawaiian entertainment.
a cooked dish of taro leaves, usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken.

Origin of luau

First recorded in 1835–45, luau is from the Hawaiian word lū'au

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for luau

Contemporary Examples of luau

Around midnight, she and her husband Lennie Hayton dropped by the Luau, a faux-Polynesian restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Lena Horne's Stormy Past
James Gavin
May 10, 2010
But the Luau incident gave her a sobering look at the truth.
Lena Horne's Stormy Past
James Gavin
May 10, 2010
While police led him to the door, Hayton rushed Horne out of the Luau, then home to the Ambassador.
Lena Horne's Stormy Past
James Gavin
May 10, 2010
Here it takes a tropical twist, with chunks of sweet pineapple, so it's right at home at a luau.
What to Eat
Cookstr.com
July 28, 2009

Historical Examples of luau

"Luau is the Hawaiian name for feast," Mrs. Beaumont explained.
The Four Corners in Japan
Amy Ella Blanchard
The pupil ate the luau, the teacher placed the package of salt on the altar, and the service was complete.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii
Nathaniel Bright Emerson
The occasion of an outdoor festival, an ahaaina or luau, was made the opportunity for the exhibition of this dance.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii
Nathaniel Bright Emerson
Luau (lu-a)--greens made by cooking young taro leaves; in modern times a term applied to a Hawaiian feast.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii
Nathaniel Bright Emerson
The Tahitian "native" feast does not differ in any salient particulars from the often-described Hawaiian luau.
In the Track of the Trades
Lewis R. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for luau

luau

noun

a feast of Hawaiian food
a dish of taro leaves usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken

Word Origin for luau

from Hawaiian lu'au

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 luau

Hawaiian party or feast, 1853, from Hawaiian lu'au, literally "young taro tops," which were served at outdoor feasts.