wahine
Americannoun
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wahine
plural
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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
Denby Fowcett, 25, a Columbia University alumna, was a surfing, skindiving Hawaii wahine only a few months ago.
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
