Wehewehe Wikiwiki

1. nvi., Famine; to suffer a famine.

2. To squeal (For. 4:457), squeak, tinkle; the sound of wind, of gnashing teeth; any high shrill sound.

• Examples:
  • Wī ka niho o ke kolohe lā, the rascal's teeth are gnashing [he is getting his just merits].
  • Wī mai nei hoʻi kou leo, how shrill your voice is.
• References:
  • Cf. pule wī.

3. n., The wī tree (Spondias dulcis 🌐), a smooth, gray-barked tree in the mango family, from islands of the South Pacific. The round or ovoid orange fruits, called wī apples, are 2.5 or more centimeters in diameter, have apple-flavored, yellow pulp surrounding a core with a few seeds.

• References:
  • Neal 523.
  • PPN wii.

4. n., The tamarind (Tomarindus indica), a large leguminous tree from tropical Africa and possibly Asia, grown for shade and ornament, and for the wood and fruit. The brown pod contains a few seeds embedded in sticky, brown, acid pulp, which is eaten or made into a drink.

• Related:
  • Sometimes called wīʻawaʻawa.
• References:
  • Neal 417.
  • PPN wii.

5. See hīhī wai #1, a grainy snail.

6. n., A female kīkī, a bird.

v. To be impoverished, as a country; to be suffering a grievous famine. Rut. 1:1. Hoo. To reduce one’s flesh; to make one poor in flesh; e hoopau i ka momona.

s. A famine; a destitution of food. Kanl. 8:9. A time of famine.

2. A name given by Hawaiians to the tamarind tree and its fruit.

adj. Poor in flesh; lean; famishing; poor; barren, as land. Nah. 13:20.

Impoverished.

1. A famine; a destitution of food; a time of famine.

2. The tamarind tree and its fruit.

3. The wi fruit (Spondias dulcis). introduced from Tahiti.

To be impoverished, as a country; to be suffering a grievous famine.