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Glite Dictionary
Niihau Island

Niihau Island

1 6.1
A small Hawaiian island west of Kauai that is privately owned and visited by few people
  • proper noun
  • /ˈniːhaʊ/
: isla Niihau
  • Few tourists are allowed to visit Niihau Island because it is privately owned.

Examples

  • The native Hawaiian language is still spoken by residents on Niihau Island.

  • A rare species of seal can be found on the beaches of Niihau Island.

  • I visited Niihau Island last summer.

  • Have you ever seen Niihau Island from a distance?

  • Few tourists are allowed to visit Niihau Island because it is privately owned.

  • The native Hawaiian language is still spoken by residents on Niihau Island.

  • A rare species of seal can be found on the beaches of Niihau Island.

Synonyms

Niihau
vsNiihau Island
1 9.9

An island in Hawaii west of Kauai with very limited visitor access

is the westernmost main island, located northwest of Kauai

Surface Forms

Niihau Island main

Morphology

Niihau + island

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining the proper name 'Niihau' with the noun 'island' — it denotes the island called Niihau. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, and this place-name composition is cross-linguistically common and immediately comprehensible to learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

Niihau Island comes from the Hawaiian name 'Niʻihau'. One popular story says the island was named for an early chief who lived there, so the name now refers to that island.