Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. n., Thing, person, matter, stuff, object.

• Examples:
  • Ka mea e loaʻa ana, whatever is gotten, found; anything.
  • ʻO wai ka mea e ʻaʻa e haʻi ʻōlelo? Who will volunteer to make a speech? Hāʻawi mai i ka mea keʻokeʻo, give me the white one.
  • Nā mea āu i noi mai, whatever you asked.
  • He aha ia mea? What difference does it make? Ka mea hea? Which one? Which? Which person? Nā mea ʻelua, two things, both.
  • Nā mea like ʻole, varied things, miscellaneous.
• References:
  • Cf. mea ʻole, what #3.
  • PPN meʻa.

2. n., Possessor or proprietor of.

• Examples:
  • He wahine mea kāne, a woman with a husband.
  • He keiki mea kupuna, a child with grandparents [as said of a child whose grandparents have made a great pet of him, said in admiration and praise of the grandchild, fortunate in having grandparents who love him].
• References:
  • Cf. mea ʻāina, mea hale.

3. n., Person or thing that does, is, did, or was.

• References:
  • See mea hula, mea kiaʻi, mea oli.

4. vt., To say.

• Examples:
  • Mea mai lāua, they said.
  • Mai mea wale aku ʻoe, don't mention [it].
• Related:
  • hoʻomea Caus/sim.; To talk in a roundabout way, as to obtain information or conceal the truth; to hint at, trifle, joke, allude, pretend, act.
    • Hapai hoʻomea aʻe (Kep. 159), to carry with pretended [groans from exertion].
    • I hoʻomea wale aku nei nō au, I was just hinting, joking, talking generally.

5. (Sometimes cap.) nvs., What-d'you-call-it, so-and-so (said when one is at a loss for a word or name); such and such.

• Examples:
  • ʻO mea mā (For. 4:47), so-and-so and the others.
  • I ka lā e mea, on such and such a day.
• References:
  • See ex., pauaho.

6. idiom. Cause, reason, purpose, means of, because (often used as ua mea o or ka ua mea, Gram. 7.4).

• Examples:
  • No ka mea, because.
  • No ia mea, therefore, for that reason.
  • Nui kō makou holo i ka ua mea o ka makaʻu, we ran fast because of fear.
  • Na wai ʻole nō ka nele i ka ua mea o ka piliwaiwai? Who could help being poor because of the gambling? Akamai kēlā Kepanī i nā hula Hawaiʻi, ā mea nō paha, hānai ʻia e nā Hawaiʻi, that Japanese is clever in Hawaiian hula, probably because he was raised by Hawaiians.
  • Ā mea lā hoʻi ā hele mai e ʻike, but because [one would think he would] come to see [said in disappointment or with hurt feelings].
  • Mea (or other word) following ua is sometimes deleted; the meaning then is something like ‘aforesaid’ (see ua #2).
  • Holo aʻe nei naʻe ʻo ua o Wānuʻa (Nak. 42), now Wānuʻa's canoe has just sailed on.
  • ʻO ka ua mua ia a Māui (KL. line 2000), this was the first [exploit] of Māui.

7. vs., Reddish-brown, as water with red earth in it; yellowish-white, of feathers.

• Examples:
  • Wai-mea (name), reddish water.
• References:
  • PPN mea.

8. vt., To bother, disturb.

• References:
  • Sol. 14.1O.