*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of honu

Etymology tree Proto-Austronesian *pəñu Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *poñu Proto-Oceanic *poñu Proto-Polynesian *fonu Hawaiian honubor. Engli

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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Austronesian *pəñu Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *poñu Proto-Oceanic *poñu Proto-Polynesian *fonu Hawaiian honubor. English honu Borrowed from Hawaiian honu.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:honu",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Austronesian *pəñu\nProto-Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu\nProto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *pəñu\nProto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *poñu\nProto-Oceanic *poñu\nProto-Polynesian *fonu\nHawaiian honubor.\nEnglish honu\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"turtle\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Austronesian\", \"term\" : \"*pəñu\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"map-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Malayo-Polynesian\", \"term\" : \"*pəñu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"poz-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian\", \"term\" : \"*pəñu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"poz-cet-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian\", \"term\" : \"*poñu\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"pqe-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Oceanic\", \"term\" : \"*poñu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"poz-oce-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Polynesian\", \"term\" : \"*fonu\", \"lang\" : \"poz-pol-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"honu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"honu\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"honu\">\nBorrowed from Hawaiian honu."
    },
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    }
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Austronesian/pəñu"
    ],
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      "*pəñu",
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    ],
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      "*pəñu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian/pəñu"
    ],
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      "*poñu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian/poñu"
    ],
    [
      "*poñu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Oceanic/poñu"
    ],
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      "*fonu",
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    ],
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    ],
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      "honu",
      "honu#Hawaiian"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas."
      ],
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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 honu →

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-aG9udQ