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Where does the word "hula" come from? It comes from Hawaiian hula, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "hula" come from? It comes from Hawaiian hula, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).
Hula’s story begins in Hawaiian: hula meant “a traditional dance.” The traditional Hawaiian dance form. It reached English by 1800s as hula. American missionaries suppressed the hula in the 1830s; King Kalākaua revived it in the 1880s. Today, hula means a traditional Hawaiian dance accompanied by chant or song.
- Stage 1 · Hawaiian · ancient hula "a traditional dance", the traditional Hawaiian dance form.
- Stage 2 · English · 1800s hula "a traditional Hawaiian dance", American missionaries suppressed the hula in the 1830s; King Kalākaua revived it in the 1880s.