Laulau
/laʊˈlaʊ/noun
A traditional Hawaiian dish of meat or fish wrapped in leaves and steamed or baked.
Did you know?The word reflects Hawaiian reduplication, a linguistic pattern often used to intensify or expand a root meaning; here, lau means “leaf.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*lau
“Leaf; foliage”
Early Polynesian
Polynesian
lau
“Leaf or leaf material used for wrapping”
Ancient Hawaiian
Hawaiian
lau
“Leaf, foliage, or a leaf used in cooking”
Traditional Hawaiian
Hawaiian
laulau
“Food wrapped in leaves and cooked”
20th Century
English
laulau
“A Hawaiian dish of meat or fish wrapped in leaves and steamed or baked”