Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Either of two triggerfishes, Rhinecanthus aculeatus or R. rectangulus, native to the outer reefs of Hawaii, the latter having a broad black band on the side and a black triangle at the beginning of the tail.
Etymologies
- Hawaiian humuhumu-nukunuku-ā-pua'a, trigger fish with a blunt snout like a pig's : humuhumu, small trigger fish (from reduplication of Proto-Polynesian *sumu, trigger fish) + nukunuku, small snout : reduplication of nuku, snout + ā, like + pua'a, pig. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“• How you pronounce humuhumunukunukuapua'a, a new fish at Hastings Blue Reef Aquarium”
The Guardian: This Week: Lord Wei, Craig Oliver, Richard Hammond
“You might have guessed that hula is the official state dance, surfing the official individual sport (outrigger canoe paddling holds the team title) and the humuhumunukunukuapua'a the official fish.”
“(or, although apostrophes are non-standard in spelling bees, humuhumunukunukuapua'a)”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘humuhumunukunukuapua'a’.
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Wild Warped Words
MMM's wild warped words. Longer, crisper, and uncut.
perspirational, wordnikwhack, persnicketiness, autosplenectomy, unbrissed, peripatetically, scrumptiousness, diabolically, humuhumunukunukua..., chargoggagoggmanc..., osteosarchaematos..., psychopompous and 12 more...
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I didn't expect to see THAT letter do...
aa, savvy, divvy, powwow, matchhead, skiing, hajj, trekking, continuum, vacuum, bathhouse, fishhook and 37 more...
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Schwa-Free
Words of more than one syllable that include no schwas in their pronunciation.
(Note for pedants: some of these words have more than one pronunciation. As long as just one of the possi...decoy, ballet, survey, sashay, argon, lilac, sumac, café, princess, dildo, wordy, flighty and 30 more...
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persnickety parlance
behoove, ebullient, insouciant, insipient, froth, quandary, quixotic, tendril, maktub, furrow, furl, anastrophe and 1076 more...
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Just trying this out.
Words which I find interesting, or which I find myself using when others don't.
mawkish, interstitial, intransigent, jellyfish baby, mordancy, arborescent, mangosteen, camelopard, coruscant, canescent, ultramarathon, stogie and 12 more...
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Eine kleine Wörterwunderkammer
Verbal curios, because of their meaning, their shape, or their history.
phlogiston, tisane, ptisan, phthisis, fimbulwinter, zarf, mono no aware, woodwose, psychopomp, jabot, chatelaine, tappen and 82 more...
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Tongue Tied
zenzizenzizenzic, antidisestablishm..., floccinaucinihili..., xenohomonecropeda..., honorificabilitud..., gynotikolobomasso..., pneumonoultramicr..., heterorumpypumyality, humuhumunukunukua..., hexakosioihexekon..., floccinaucihihili..., supercalifragilis... and 6 more...
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pippiiiy
je ne sais quoi, hortus siccus, jack-o'-lantern, fleur-de-lys, doppelganger, il faut que le pr..., flibbertigibbet, syzygy, callipygian, hobbledehoy, gobbledygook, grandiloquent and 5 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for humuhumunukunukuapua'a.
rolig For the general enjoyment, the song mentioned below is here. Apr 16, 2009
patra Translates to "triggerfish with a snout like a pig." Cute but vicious. Mar 19, 2008
mollusque Also listed as humuhumunukunukuapuaa, humuhumunukunuku�?puaʻa, humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua‘a, and humuhumunukunukua'apua, ghosted as humuhumunukunukuâpua`a, shortened to humuhumu, and commented variously. Jan 17, 2008
super-julia it's okay. ukulele makes up for it. almost. ;) Jan 17, 2008
reesetee Sorry. You'll definitely need to add it to your "Do Not Like" list. :-) Jan 17, 2008
super-julia no, you've said it, you've gone and said the word..i..can't..stand..earworm!! and now look, you've made me say it, too.. oh, it's just too awful..
*shaking head i can't hear you la la la* Jan 17, 2008
reesetee Earworm alert! I can hear my dad singing it now, while strumming his ukulele.... :-) Jan 17, 2008
oroboros ...where the you guessed it! goes swimming by... Jan 17, 2008
super-julia indeed it is! and it is also the word i had the hardest time with in my hula lessons with my grandmother. it's in the song, "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawaii". Jan 17, 2008
mikeropology Omg, I know that word! It's the Hawaiian state fish!! Jan 17, 2008