hoʻōla
The Hawaiian word for healing is hoʻōla.
hoʻōla refers to the process of regeneration. While it can be understood as the noun 'healing', it is commonly used as a verb meaning 'to heal' or 'to make healthy'.
Meaning: process of regeneration (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the causative prefix hoʻo- (to cause to be) and the root ʻōla (life or health), literally meaning 'to make/cause to live or be healthy'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In common usage, hoʻōla functions as a verb meaning 'to heal'.
Did you know?
- Hawaiian has a distinct concept called pono, which means 'righteousness' or 'balance'. True hoʻōla is often considered impossible unless the patient first achieves pono in their relationships and environment.
- The word ʻōla is a cognate with the Maori word ora, which also means 'life' and 'health'. This shows a linguistic bridge across the Polynesian triangle.
- In traditional culture, a specialist in hoʻōla was known as a kahuna lapaʻau. These practitioners combined botanical knowledge with spiritual prayers to facilitate recovery.
Example conversation
Koa and Malia are talking about a friend's recovery.
- KoaPehea ka hoʻōla o kāu hoa?How is your friend's healing going?
- MaliaKūpono ka hoʻōla, ua maikaʻi ʻo ia.The healing is going well, he is doing better.
- KoaUa haʻuʻau pono ʻo ia i ka mālama?Did he follow the care properly?
- MaliaʻAe, ua kōkua ia i ka hoʻōla wikiwiki.Yes, that helped the fast healing.
