Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. nvs., Slave, bond servant; hard labor; oppressed, enslaved; slavish, back-breaking, servile, downtrodden.

• Related:
  • Hana kauwā kuapaʻa, slave labor.
  • hoʻokuapaʻa Caus/sim.; To enslave, oppress.

2. n., The chiton (Acanthochiton viridis), a small sea creature used in the māwaewae ceremony for babies.

3. n., A variety of destructive caterpillar.

4. vs., Parched and dried, as breadfruit.

• Rare

Destructive caterpillar that eats vegetable plants. (A.)

Coral reef or rock showing itself above water, though water may flow over it. (A.)

The chiton (Acanthochiton viridis). A small sea creature used in the māwaewae ceremony for babies, but not edible. This is the largest Hawaiʻi species. It is greenish, and a large specimen can be 1 inch long. It is found in holes and under rubble in tide pools.

Breadfruit, parched with one side exposed to the sun (referring to the fruit that remains on the tree after the season has ended); a human back, hard and calloused, from carrying heavy burdens and performing hard labor; slavish, oppressed, severe.