English word origin

Etymology of Kanak

First attested in 1910, borrowed from French canaque, from English kanaka (“Pacific islander”), from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

An indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

First attested in 1910, borrowed from French canaque, from English kanaka (“Pacific islander”), from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentioncanaquefr
Derivation mentionkanakaen
Derivation mentionkanakahaw

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "canaque"
      },
      "expansion": "French canaque"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "kanaka",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Pacific islander"
      },
      "expansion": "English kanaka (“Pacific islander”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "kanaka",
        "4": "",
        "5": "person"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian kanaka (“person”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "canaque",
      "canaque#French"
    ],
    [
      "kanaka",
      "kanaka#English"
    ],
    [
      "kanaka",
      "kanaka#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f634370edc3eaa1d15a6389712708700afc6f4dd6500a848b3b0755dec89f3c6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "be53a9340a3e14e711f8acdd4d443929eb5e78deff0fefc8892cdbd6d06b546c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1847072
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Sanskrit कनक (kanaka).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sa:कनक",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Sanskrit\", \"term\" : \"कनक\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"sa\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Kanak\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Kanak\">\nBorrowed from Sanskrit कनक (kanaka)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sa:कनक",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Sanskrit कनक (kanaka)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "कनक",
      "कनक#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from Sanskrit used in India."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Kanak →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-S2FuYWs