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Glite Dictionary
Kamehameha the Great

Kamehameha the Great

1 9.4
A Hawaiian king who united the Hawaiian Islands under one rule
  • proper noun
  • /kɑːˈmeɪəˌmeɪə/
: Kamehameha el Grande
  • Under Kamehameha the Great, the Hawaiian Islands were first unified into a single kingdom.

Examples

  • The reign of Kamehameha the Great marked a turning point in Hawaiian history.

  • Many statues of Kamehameha the Great stand throughout Hawaii in his honor.

  • Did Kamehameha the Great establish a dynasty?

  • The legacy of Kamehameha the Great lives on today.

  • Many statues of Kamehameha the Great stand throughout Hawaii in his honor.

  • The reign of Kamehameha the Great marked a turning point in Hawaiian history.

  • Under Kamehameha the Great, the Hawaiian Islands were first unified into a single kingdom.

Synonyms

Kamehameha I
vsKamehameha the Great
1 9.1

The first king of Hawaii who united the islands under one rule

is the more familiar honorific form rather than the numeral version

Surface Forms

Kamehameha the Great main

Morphology

Kamehameha + the + great

The construction 'Kamehameha the Great' follows a cross-linguistic and regular pattern (proper name + 'the Great') so a learner who knows 'the' and 'great' can infer it denotes a distinguished or honored person named Kamehameha. However, the specific historical information (that he was a Hawaiian king who united the islands) depends on knowledge of the proper name and cannot be derived from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Kamehameha the Great was the name of a Hawaiian king who, long ago, brought the Hawaiian Islands together under one rule. He is called the Great because he 'united' the islands and started a ruling family, so the name reminds people of the leader who made Hawaii one kingdom.