aloha

See also: Aloha and ALOHA

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Austronesian *qaləp

Proto-Austronesian *qaləpan

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaləpan

Proto-Oceanic *qalopan

Proto-Polynesian *qarofa

Hawaiian alohabor.

English aloha

Borrowed from Hawaiian aloha (“love”), from Proto-Polynesian *qarofa. Doublet of aroha and aropa.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ə-lō’-(h)ə, IPA^(key): /əˈləʊ.(h)ə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) enPR: ə-lō’-hä, ə-lō’-ə, IPA^(key): /əˈloʊˌhɑ/, /əˈloʊ.ə/
• Rhymes: -əʊhɑː, -əʊhə, -əʊə

Noun

aloha (plural alohas)

1. (Hawaii) Good wishes, love, compassion, peacefulness and affection. [from 19th c.]

   When I got back to Hawaii, a feeling of aloha flooded me, and my anxiety vanished.

   • 2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 91:

     Traveling as the princess regent with a retinue that included Princess Ruth and Queen Kapi‘olani, Lili‘u was welcomed by enormous crowds and lavish outpourings of aloha, as her subjects clasped her knees and kissed her hands and feet to show their reverence.

   • 2026, Rebecca Fox, “Weaving with Aloha”, in Handwoven, volume XLVII, number 1, page 80:

     Uncle Onio exemplifies aloha by sharing his broad knowledge of Hawaiian culture and weaving techniques.

2. (Hawaii) An utterance of aloha (see Interjection, below). [from 19th c.]

Derived terms

• aloha party
• aloha shirt
• aloha snackbar
• Aloha Spirit
• Aloha State

Interjection

aloha

1. (chiefly Hawaii) Expressing good wishes when greeting or parting from someone; hello; goodbye. [from 19th c.]

Translations

hello — see hello

goodbye — see goodbye

Further reading

• “aloha”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Ahola

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *qarofa, from Proto-Oceanic *qalopan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaləpan, from Proto-Austronesian *qaləpan, from *qaləp (“to beckon, wave”). Cognates include Māori aroha and Samoan alofa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈlo.ha/, [əˈlo.hə]

Interjection

aloha

1. hello, greetings

   Aloha kākou!

   Hello everyone!

2. goodbye, farewell

   Aloha e Kaleo!

   Bye Kaleo!

Synonyms

• welina

Derived terms

• aloha ahiahi
• aloha awakea
• aloha kakahiaka
• aloha ʻauinalā
• aloha ʻino (“what a pity”)
• ālohaloha (reduplication)
• hoʻālohaloha (“express affection”)

Descendants

• → English: aloha
• → Indonesian: aloha
• → Translingual: Aloha

Noun

aloha

1. love, compassion, affection, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity
2. greeting, salutation, regards
3. sweetheart, lover, loved one

Verb

aloha

1. (transitive) to love, be fond of

   Aloha wau iā ʻoe

   I love you.

2. (transitive) to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection
3. (transitive) to venerate
4. (transitive) to remember with affection
5. (transitive) to greet, hail
6. (stative) to be loving, kind
7. (stative) beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena; Elbert, Samuel H. (1986), “aloha”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 21

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian aloha, from Proto-Polynesian *qarofa, from Proto-Oceanic *qalopan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaləpan, from Proto-Austronesian *qaləpan, from *qaləp (“to beckon, wave”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /aˈloha/ [aˈlo.ha]
• Rhymes: -oha
• Syllabification: a‧lo‧ha

Interjection

aloha

1. hello, greetings

Further reading

• “aloha”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016