povi poʻa
In Samoan, the English word "bull" is translated as povi poʻa.
The term refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.
Meaning: uncastrated adult male bovine (noun)
Did you know?
- The word povi is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'bovine', both tracing back to the Latin 'bov-'.
- Because cattle were introduced later than pigs, the Samoan language has a much deeper and more nuanced vocabulary for pigs than for povi poʻa.
- In Samoan culture, cattle like the povi poʻa are not indigenous and were introduced to the islands by Europeans.
Examples in context
- O le povi poʻa lea.This is a bull.
Example conversation
Sione and Mere are walking past a farm field.
- SioneVaʻai i le povi poʻa o loʻo iina.Look at the bull over there.
- MereE foliga mai e underway tele o ia.He looks very strong.
- SioneO se povi poʻa tele ma le malosi.It is a big and strong bull.
- MereE tatau ona tatou faia'i.We should stay away.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries povi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
