Wahine
/wəˈhiːni/noun
A woman or wife, especially in Hawaiian and some other Polynesian languages.
Did you know?Wahine is a widespread Polynesian word for “woman,” showing how one ancient root traveled across the Pacific and stayed alive in everyday speech.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
PPN
*fafine
“woman; wife”
Proto-Eastern Polynesian
PEP
*wahine
“woman; wife”
Hawaiian
Haw
wahine
“woman; female; wife”
19th Century
English
wahine
“a Hawaiian woman; later, in New Zealand English, a woman or girl, especially a Māori or Pacific Island woman”
Modern English
English
wahine
“a woman, especially in Hawaiian or New Zealand contexts”