waiwai
Hawaiian
Etymology
Possibly a reduplication of wai (“fresh water”); more likely, a reduplication of wai, a rare form of waiho (“to leave, deposit”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wai̯ˈwai̯/, [ʋəjˈʋɐj], [ʋəjˈʋɛj] (rapid speech)
Verb
waiwai
- (stative) to be rich
References
- Elbert, Samuel H., Pukui, Mary Kawena (1979) Hawaiian Grammar, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, page 67