Aitu
/ˈaɪ.tuː/noun
A spirit, ghost, or supernatural being in several Polynesian cultures, especially Samoa.
Did you know?In Samoan tradition, an *aitu* could be benevolent or dangerous, and illness was sometimes interpreted as the work of a displeased spirit.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Oceanic, c. 1000 BCE
Proto-Oceanic
*qanitu
“Spirit, ghost, or supernatural being”
Proto-Polynesian, c. 300 BCE–300 CE
Proto-Polynesian
*aitu
“Ghost or spirit”
Early Polynesian languages
Polynesian
aitu
“Supernatural spirit or ancestral ghost”
18th–19th Century
Samoan
aitu
“Spirit, ghost, or deity-like supernatural being”
Modern English
English
aitu
“A Polynesian spirit or ghost, used especially in anthropological and cultural writing”