*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Maui

From Hawaiian Maui, probably a contraction of Māui (a Hawaiian trickster god); or borrowed from Māori Māui.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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 ↗
name

The second-largest island of Hawaii. · Alternative spelling of Māui.

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

From Hawaiian Maui, probably a contraction of Māui (a Hawaiian trickster god); or borrowed from Māori Māui.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionMauihaw
  • Borrowed-form mentionMāuimi
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "Maui"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian Maui"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mi",
        "3": "Māui"
      },
      "expansion": "Māori Māui"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Maui",
      "Maui#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "Māui",
      "Māui#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "Hawaiian",
      "Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "trickster",
      "trickster"
    ],
    [
      "god",
      "god"
    ],
    [
      "Māui",
      "Māui#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The second-largest island of Hawaii.",
        "Alternative spelling of Māui."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "bc74be98d883ff1acf532512add1ba64edf75c34aeea316d3381180f0a92750a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "65d4c98f8e821e6b695ed3b82f1b15c8f0a5812b2401b5ba85256c3813e2a114",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 897410
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Maui →

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-TWF1aQ