*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of poi

Borrowed from Hawaiian poi.

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

The traditional staple food of Hawaii, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment. · A creamy Samoan dessert of ripe bananas mashed with coconut cream.

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

Borrowed from Hawaiian poi.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionpoihaw
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": "poi"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian poi"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "poi",
      "poi#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The traditional staple food of Hawaii, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment.",
        "A creamy Samoan dessert of ripe bananas mashed with coconut cream."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Hawaii",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "86e17ed18a5a54ef2b8d89c6b515002f0abb446f2869c1da308c279c5135b67b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e1b805feae957596681c49a0836f906119b49fe6613dc72584279bd7ee79ad6d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 232451
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A small ball made of leaves and fibres, attached to a string. · A traditional dance performed by Maori women involving the rhythmic swinging of such a ball.

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

Borrowed from Māori poi.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionpoimi
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mi",
        "3": "poi"
      },
      "expansion": "Māori poi"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "poi",
      "poi#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small ball made of leaves and fibres, attached to a string.",
        "A traditional dance performed by Maori women involving the rhythmic swinging of such a ball."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "ebc856e013fe31a80c14a269e6229092c491d4705400e6936d8562649e5ca270",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a76557f5ddbdcef3dd400869f2438ad4da21c485c94672cb885ff186b7cdd5de",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 232452
    }
  ],
  "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 poi →

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-cG9p