purinisese
The Samoan word for princess is purinisese.
purinisese is a noun used to refer to a female member of a royal family.
Meaning: female member of royal family (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word purinisese is a loanword from the English word 'princess', adapted to fit Samoan phonology.
Did you know?
- While purinisese is used for royalty, traditional Samoan society uses the title taupou for the high-ranking daughter of a village chief who represents the village's honor.
- The status of a taupou is so significant that she is historically the one who manages the distribution of fine mats, the most valuable currency in traditional Samoan culture.
- While English uses 'princess' to denote royalty, using purinisese in Samoa may sound more like a description of a character in a story rather than a living person of high rank.
Examples in context
- O le purinisese lenei.This is the princess.
- O le purinisese o lo'o moe.The princess is sleeping.
- Na maua e le purinisese se meaalofa.The princess received a gift.
Example conversation
Talisa and Tasi are reading a fairy tale book together.
- TalisaSeai le purinisese i le tala?Who is the princess in the story?
- TasiO le teine o lo'o melele.It is the girl who is crying.
- TalisaE lelei le purinisese.The princess is kind.
- TasiIoe, e matagofie foi.Yes, she is beautiful too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “princess” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
