lele kawa

Hawaiian

Etymology

From lele (“to jump”) +‎ kawa (“precipice”).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈle.le ˈka.wa/, [ˈlɛ.lɛ ˈkɐ.ʋə]

Verb

lele kawa

  1. (intransitive) to tombstone (leap from a cliff maintaining a vertical position), to cliff jump
    • 1909, Bureau of American Ethnology, Unwritten literature of Hawaii: the sacred songs of the hula‎[1], page 192:
      Lele ua, lele kawa! Lele aku, lele mai! Lele ʻōʻō, ʻōʻō lele!
      Rain flies, cliff jump! Leap here, leap there! Feet first, head first!

Derived terms

  • papa lele kawa (“diving board”)

Further reading

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