English
mahu
Mahu comes from Hawaiian māhū ‘a person of the third gender’, and goes back to Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *maafuu ‘unenergetic, not passionate’.
- Proto-Nuclear Polynesianprehistoric (reconstructed)*maafuu‘unenergetic, not passionate’reconstructed
- Hawaiianmodernmāhū‘a person of the third gender’
- Englishtodaymahu
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Nuclear Polynesianprehistoric (reconstructed)*maafuu‘unenergetic, not passionate’reconstructed
- Hawaiianmodernmāhū‘a person of the third gender’
- Englishtodaymahu
Every English word from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *maafuu
Today it means
noun A person of the third gender, having traditional spiritual and social roles in the cultures of Hawaii and Tahiti.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.