meaʻai māmā
The Hawaiian phrase for snack is meaʻai māmā.
meaʻai māmā refers to an item of food eaten between meals.
Meaning: an item of food eaten between meals (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of meaʻai (food) and māmā (light/easy), literally meaning "light food".
How does it change in a sentence?
meaʻai māmā is a noun phrase and does not change form for pluralization in common usage.
When do people say it?
In Hawaii, the term pupu is commonly used to refer to appetizers or finger foods served at social gatherings.
Did you know?
- The word meaʻai is a compound of mea meaning 'thing' and ʻai meaning 'to eat'.
- The word māmā in meaʻai māmā is a cognate with the word for 'light' in Māori, Tahitian and Samoan.
- The word māmā is a reduplication of an older root, a common linguistic feature in Hawaiian used to emphasize or modify a quality.
Examples in context
- He meaʻai māmā kēia.This is a snack.
- E ʻimi meaʻai māmā au.I am looking for a snack.
Example conversation
Keanu and Kiana are hanging out in the living room in the afternoon.
- KeanuKiana, makemake ʻoe i meaʻai māmā?Kiana, do you want a snack?
- KianaʻAe, makemake au.Yes, I do.
- KeanuE ʻai kāua i kēia meaʻai māmā.Let's eat this snack.
- KianaMahalo, Keanu.Thank you, Keanu.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries māmā, CC BY-SA 4.0.
