wahine
Americannoun
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(in Hawaii and Polynesia) a girl or young woman.
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Slang. a young woman surfer.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wahine
Borrowed into English from Polynesian around 1835–45
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
The Hawaiian word "wahine" is translated in English as "woman."
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2013
Being the New Jersey surfing wahine that I am, I found your January 2006 issue with the Atlantic City Destination article in it was awesome!
From Time Magazine Archive
When she died, a great fat wahine, in 1917, the territorial Government bought Iolani Palace as a Governor's mansion.
From Time Magazine Archive
Kumu Maka is māhū, with elements of both kāne and wahine.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
