Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

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.

1. W: tree (Spondias dulcis), a smooth, gray-barked import from the South Pacific belonging to the mango family. (NEAL 523.) 2. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), probably a native of Africa and Asia. It grows to medium size and is noted for its shade and fruit. (NEAL 417.) Bernice Pauahi Bishop quite regularly “held court” among her Hawaiian people under a tamarind tree planted on her birthday in front of the Bishopsʻ home on King Street in Honolulu. Also called wīʻawaʻawa.

Poor in flesh, lean, famishing; barren, as land.