pōpolo

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *polo; cognate with Maori poroporo and pōporo (Solanum aviculare), Tongan polo (“Solanum nigrum”) and Tuvaluan 'opolo (“capsicum”). Skin color meaning comes from analogy to the color of its berries.

Noun

pōpolo

1. black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
2. (slang, countable, sometimes pejorative) a black person

Descendants

• → English: popolo

Further reading

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “pōpolo”, in Hawaiian Dictionary‎^[2], revised & enlarged edition, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN