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Glite Dictionary
Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea

4 6.7
A dormant volcano in Hawaii that is the highest mountain in the islands
  • proper noun
  • /ˈmaʊnə ˈkeɪə/
: Mauna Kea
  • The image was taken as part of a survey of protostars and main-sequence stars by Paul Kalas and David Jewitt from the University of Hawaii that used the 2.2-meter telescope on Mauna Kea.
  • Mauna Kea, Hawaii
  • telescope on Mauna Kea

Examples

  • Many astronomers travel to Mauna Kea for its clear skies and optimal conditions for stargazing.

  • As the highest peak in the Hawaiian Islands, Mauna Kea offers breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape.

  • Pay for the van that drives you to the top of Mauna Kea at sunset.

    Blog text (10)

  • You should probably have at least a moderately powerful car to go up to Mauna Kea.

    Blog text (10)

  • Note that Mauna Kea's 13,000+ ft altitude has the potential to cause health problems.

    Blog text (10)

  • There is sense in their prohibition against driving up to the Mauna Kea summit (which is a great place to visit).

    Blog text (10)

  • They still don't let you go to the Mauna Kea summit, as you do need 4WD to go past the visitor center.

    Blog text (10)

  • The cover of this issue shows a composite of adaptively corrected images of the "Frosty Leo" nebula, taken by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The dormant volcano Mauna Kea is a popular destination for tourists visiting Hawaii.

Surface Forms

Mauna Kea main

Morphology

Mauna + Kea

This is a proper name composed of Hawaiian morphemes not found in general English dictionaries; an average B1 learner who knows English words would not know 'Mauna' or 'Kea' and cannot derive 'dormant volcano / highest peak' from them. Even if a learner knew the Hawaiian senses (mauna = mountain, kea = white), that would at best suggest a literal meaning like 'white mountain' and would not reliably convey the specific geographic/volcanic sense, so the overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Mauna Kea comes from the Hawaiian words mauna and kea, meaning 'mountain' and 'white'. Early Hawaiians saw snow on the summit and called it the 'white mountain', so the name fits this high, often snowy peak today.