*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of okina

Etymology tree Hawaiian ʻoki Hawaiian -na Hawaiian ʻokinabor. English okina Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻokina (“cutting off, separation”).

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

The Hawaiian apostrophe-like letter (ʻ ) used to indicate the glottal stop consonant.

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

Etymology tree Hawaiian ʻoki Hawaiian -na Hawaiian ʻokinabor. English okina Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻokina (“cutting off, separation”).

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": "haw:ʻokina<t:cutting off, separation>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nHawaiian ʻoki\nHawaiian -na\nHawaiian ʻokinabor.\nEnglish okina\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"cutting off, separation\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"ʻoki\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"-na\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"ʻokina\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"okina\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"okina\">\nBorrowed from Hawaiian ʻokina (“cutting off, separation”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:ʻokina<t:cutting off, separation>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nHawaiian ʻoki\nHawaiian -na\nHawaiian ʻokinabor.\nEnglish okina\nBorrowed from Hawaiian ʻokina (“cutting off, separation”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ʻoki",
      "ʻoki#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "-na",
      "-na#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "ʻokina",
      "ʻokina#Hawaiian"
    ],
    [
      "ʻokina",
      "ʻokina#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The Hawaiian apostrophe-like letter (ʻ ) used to indicate the glottal stop consonant."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "982a6b5dbc357382cca878fcd343458337c167ba1b9a7cd838ea91298221afb0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b15821e675a0a4c0afbb464502777841afe3a26508ae4954902f63b2f8a4e7c4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 461931
    }
  ],
  "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 okina →

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-b2tpbmE