mōʻī

See also: Appendix:Variations of "moi"

Hawaiian

Etymology

David Malo's Hawaiian Antiquities details it as a “temple image/idol” (kiʻi), further glossed as “lord (mana) of images/idols (kiʻi)” thus probably a product of semantic shift; other theories include from a Proto-Polynesian root (e.g. *maa-qoki “true” – compare with Samoan moʻi[1]).[2] (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /moːˈʔiː/

Noun

mōʻī

  1. majesty
    Synonym: hanohano
  2. monarch
    mōʻī kāne: king
    mōʻī wahine: queen (regnant)

References

  1. ^ Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “maa-qoki”, in “POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 50, number 2, pages 551-559
  2. ^ Stokes, John F.G. (1932) “The Hawaiian King (Mo-i, Alii-Aimoku, Alii-Kapu)”, in Papers of the Hawaiian Historical Society, volume 19, pages 9–23
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