puaʻahorofenua

Tahitian

Etymology

From puaʻa (“pig”) +‎ horo (“to run”) +‎ fenua (“land”) altogether “pig dashing across land”.[1]

Noun

puaʻahorofenua

  1. horse

Descendants

  • Tahitian: horofenua
    • → Samoan: solofanua (calque)
    • → Rarotongan: ʻoroʻenua (calque)
  • Tuamotuan: puarenua, puārehenua, pūakahorohenua

References

  1. ^ Ellis, William (1829) Polynesian Researches, During a Residence of Nearly Six Years in the South Sea Islands, page 149:
    I saw crowds of natives repairing towards the place where the horse had been tied up, in charge of one of Pomare's favourite chiefs...the multitude appeared highly delighted when they saw the animal walking and running along the beach...They called him buaa-horo-fenua...; land-running pig...
  • Charpentier, Jean-Michel, François, Alexandre (2015) Atlas linguistique de la Polynésie française‎[1], →ISBN, page 2046

Further reading

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