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Glite Dictionary
kapa

kapa

1 9.9
A Hawaiian cloth made by beating tree bark and dyed with natural colors
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːpə/
translation icon : kapa
  • At the cultural event, the display showcased various patterns of kapa, all dyed with natural colors.

Examples

  • She wore a stunning dress made of kapa, reflecting the rich culture of Hawaii.

  • My sword and my kapa will be your trusted companions.

    The Beastmaster (1982)

  • Your kapa.

    The Beastmaster (1982)

  • Kepa-- kapa--

    We're All in This Together (2022)

  • By 1973, amateurs had converted an old Austro-Hungarian fortress into the largest amateur observatory in Yugoslavia, Colina Kapa.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The artisan used kapa to create beautiful traditional garments for the festival.

Synonyms

tapa
vskapa
13 9.9

A cloth made from tree bark used for clothes and decoration in the Pacific islands

is the Hawaiian specific type rather than the wider Polynesian variety
tappa
vskapa
  • Australian
1 9.9

A paper-like cloth made by beating inner tree bark, used for clothing and ceremonies in Pacific Islands

is a decorated Hawaiian cloth rather than plain paperlike material

How Decorative

tapestry
23 5.6
ornamental
1 4.8
kapa
1 9.9
plain-woven
  • Specialized
4.9

Surface Forms

kapa singular
kapas plural

Etymology

Kapa comes from Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages and originally meant a traditional 'bark cloth' made by beating the bark of trees such as the wauke. So kapa today still means this special cloth used in ceremonies and often decorated with natural dyes.