kahuna

See also: kāhuna

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian kahuna (shaman, wizard).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kəˈhuːnə/
  • Rhymes: -uːnə

Noun

kahuna (plural kahunas or kahuna)

  1. (Hawaii) A priest or priestess of the traditional Hawaiian religion.
    • 2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 230:
      They were kāhuna, practitioners of the old Hawaiian religion, apparently offering themselves as sacrifices to appease the gods so that the queen would be restored.
  2. (surfing) A great surfer.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Hawaiian

Etymology

Compound of kahu (guardian, master) + -na (nominalizing suffix; compare Maori -nga).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kaˈhu.na/, [kəˈhu.nə]

Noun

kahuna (irregular plural kāhuna)

  1. priest, sorcerer, magician, minister, wizard
  2. expert in any profession (doctors, surgeons, dentists were referred to as such in the 1845 laws)

Derived terms

  • hoʻokahuna

Descendants

  • English: kahuna
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.