menehune
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌmɛnəˈhuːneɪ/
- Literature
- According to legend, the menehune constructed fishponds and temples when no one was watching.
Examples
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Ain't gonna get no work done today with these Menehune huggers blocking the site.
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After five years in business, the company's product, "Menehune (Hawaii's version of a leprechaun) Magic," is starting to gain name recognition.
Academic text (1997) -
They say the menehune come in with wind...
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That was the first time you beat me at the Menehune contest in Haliewa.
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I'm tempted to say menehune.
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The end products, Menehune Magic organic compost, organic compost with manure, organic potting mix, screened topsoil, and lawn and garden organic blend, fly out of the operation so fast that the company has a hard time filling orders.
Academic text (2001) -
In Hawaiian folklore, the menehune are said to be small people who secretly build impressive structures at night.
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Children love listening to stories about the menehune, who are known for their magical abilities and mischief.
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word menehune comes from Hawaiian stories about small, secret people who build fishponds and walls at night. One idea links menehune to an older Polynesian word manahune, meaning 'common people', so you can remember them as hidden workers who quietly made things, which is why the word now means those little night builders.