kahuna en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /kəˈhuːnə/ (UK)
Etymology
Borrowed from Hawaiian kahuna (“shaman, wizard”).
Meanings
-
(Hawaii) A priest or priestess of the traditional Hawaiian religion.
They were kāhuna, practitioners of the old Hawaiian religion, apparently offering themselves as sacrifices to appease the gods so that the queen would be restored.
2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 230:
- A great surfer.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| kahuna | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| kahunas | Number=Plur | lexicographic |