falaoa
The Samoan word for bread is falaoa.
The term refers to baked dough made from cereals.
Meaning: baked dough made from cereals (noun)
Did you know?
- The word falaoa is a linguistic relative of the English word 'flour', having been adapted into the Samoan phonetic system.
- In Samoa, falaoa often specifically refers to oven-baked bread introduced by Westerners, distinguishing it from traditional root-crop staples.
- If you travel to New Zealand or Hawaii, you will see the word 'flour' transformed into the Māori parāoa or the Hawaiian palaoa, showing how much these Pacific languages share through historical trade.
Examples in context
- E manaia le falaoa.The bread is delicious.
Example conversation
Talisa and Tasi are preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
- TalisaTasi, e iai se falaoa i le mea oloa?Tasi, is there any bread in the pantry?
- TasiLeai, ua ma'u le falaoa ona mae'a.No, the bread has run out.
- TalisaE tatau ona tatou fa'atau se falaoa fou.We need to buy some new bread.
- TasiOu te malie lava e alu nei.I am happy to go now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bread” translations and entries falaoa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries falaoa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
