Kanaka Definition
kənakə, kanäkə; kanəkə
noun
A Hawaiian.
Webster's New World
A person born in the South Sea Islands.
Webster's New World
A South Sea Islander, especially one brought to Australia as a laborer in the 1800s and 1900s. Often used disparagingly.
American Heritage
Other Word Forms of Kanaka
Noun
Singular:
KanakaPlural:
kanakasOrigin of Kanaka
-
1840. From Hawaiian kanaka (“person”), ultimately from Proto-Polynesian *taŋata.
From Wiktionary
Hawaiian human being, Kanaka
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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