Pono (word)
Look up pono in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Pono (pronounced state motto: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono or "The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness".[1]
Pono is a notably
polysemous term. Mary Kawena Pukui's and Samuel Hoyt Elbert's Hawaiian dictionary gives six meanings and 83 English translation
equivalents.
- nvs. Goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, behalf, equity, sake, true condition or nature, duty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, beneficial, successful, in perfect order, accurate, correct, eased, relieved; should, ought, must, necessary.
- vs. Completely, properly, rightly, well, exactly, carefully, satisfactorily, much (an intensifier).
- n. Property, resources, assets, fortune, belongings, equipment, household goods, furniture, gear of any kind, possessions, accessories, necessities.
- n. Use, purpose, plan.
- n. Hope.
- vs. Careless, informal, improper, any kind of (preceding a stem).[2]
The word has strong
Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement
.
Footnotes
- ^ Merriam Webster Online
- ^ Pukui, Mary Kawena & Elbert, Samuel H. (1986).Hawaiian Dictionary. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 340–1. Note that usage examples are omitted.
References
- Chun, Malcolm Naea. 2006. Pono: The Way of Living. University of Hawaii.
- Fuchs, Lawrence H. 1961. Hawaii Pono: A Social History. Harcourt, Brace & World.
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