*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lei

Borrowed from Hawaiian lei.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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

A garland of flowers in Hawaii.

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

Borrowed from Hawaiian lei.

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:lei",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"lei\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lei\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lei\">\nBorrowed from Hawaiian lei."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:lei",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hawaiian lei."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lei",
      "lei#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A garland of flowers in Hawaii."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c7f48e80c8b5f39e314b072c88c3d8bd3373eb27bf04f35b2c0c232821b56991",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b04f6c670cfa2aba3ca34df437a9b0658b8fd26dcbb235f06d19fdbb14e1a938",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 218547
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

plural of leu

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

Borrowed from Romanian lei.

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": "ro:lei",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Romanian\", \"term\" : \"lei\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lei\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lei\">\nBorrowed from Romanian lei."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ro:lei",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Romanian lei."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lei",
      "lei#Romanian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of leu"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "e5aabc861babcf5334b487c800f4cb10a51e7b27f1bf0b80b5507d5a4ac61a77",
      "rawRecordSha256": "90f1cdca403393630283b16d56321824c4bb3839f12863f2560c54ee4769d644",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 218548
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "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 lei →

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-bGVp