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Glite Dictionary
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wahine

wahine

1 9.9
A woman in Hawaii or nearby islands
  • noun
  • /wɑːˈhiːneɪ/
  • US
: mujer
  • Eh, so what kind wahine you two like?

Examples

  • You think the wahine is gonna help you?

    H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (2005)

  • And who is my hot little wahine?

    Failure to Launch (2006)

  • Barry's birth mother, the obliging native Hawaiian wahine who bore Stanley Armour Dunham a son out of wedlock, was probably single when she gave birth to Barry.

    Blog text (34)

  • In traditional Hawaiian culture, a wahine is revered not just as a woman but as a source of strength and wisdom.

  • During the ceremony, all the wahine dressed in colorful hula attire to perform the dance.

  • Many local festivals celebrate the achievements of wahine in the community and their contributions to culture.

Surface Forms

wahine singular
wahines plural

Etymology

The word wahine is the Hawaiian word for 'woman' and is used in English to mean a woman in Hawaiian or other Pacific Island cultures. It is like vahine in Tahitian and fafine in Samoan, and this similarity helps you remember the meaning.