koa
1. nvs. brave, bold, fearless, valiant; bravery, courage. cf.hoʻonakoa, puʻipuʻi. 2. To be bold; to be courageous; to act the soldier; e ikaika oe, e koa hoi, mai makau. 3. Hoo. To be valiant; to act valiantly. Ier. 9:3. 4. adj. Brave; bold, as a soldier. 5. adv. Boldly; without fear; e olelo koa, speak boldly. 6. nvs. soldier, warrior, fighter; military, hero, martial. 7. A soldier; plural, soldiers; an army; a multitude. 8. n. the largest of native forest trees (Acacia koa), with light-gray bark, crescent-shaped leaves, and white flowers in small, round heads. A legume with fine, red wood, a valuable lumber tree, formerly used for canoes, surfboards, calabashes, now for furniture and ukuleles. A small koa was sometimes added to the hula altar to Laka, goddess of the hula, to make the dancer fearless. The name koa may be qualified by the terms kā, kūma kua, kū mauna. 9. The name of a large tree growing on the mountains, good for furniture, of which canoes are made and instruments of war. 10. n. name of a wind at Mālei, Molokaʻi. 11. n. land crocodile (RSV), chameleon (KJV). (Pronunciation uncertain.) 12. placename. avenue, Waikīkī, Honolulu, named for Prince David Kawānanakoa. TM. lit.: brave. 13. The horned coral; the same as akoakoa; the coral rock; koa ahi and koa opelu, places among the coral rocks where the fishes ahi and opelu are found; o ke koa a lakou e lawaia ai, the coral is where they fished; he puu koa, a clump of coral rocks. 14. In geography, a sound; a strait; a channel; waha koa, a strait. seekowa; 15. Name of the place where a retreating wave meets one coming in, in shallow water. seepuao; 16. v. To be dry; to be without moisture; maloo. mauu ole. 17. To be unfruitful; to bear no fruit, as a plant or tree; e hua ole mai i ka hua. 18. s. A barren, fruitless plant or tree. 19. Dry; without moisture. 20. Unfruitful, as a plant or tree. 21. To be unfruitful, as plants in dry ground. 22. v. To speak unwittingly; to speak in jest; not meaning extactly what one says; 23. To miss; to make a mistake in speaking; e olelo kikoola; to throw words carelessly together without thought; 24. A mean beggar; 25. A mistake in speaking or acting; doing what was not designed; 26. A broad, prominent forehead. 27. Unsteady; irregular in habit; 28. The name of a species of red fish;
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219
Aʻo i ke koa, e aʻo nō i ka holo.
When one learns to be a warrior, one must also learn to run.
[It is no disgrace to run when there is danger of being destroyed; perhaps there may be another day when one can fight and win.]
365
E ola koa.
Live like a koa tree.
[Live a long time, like a koa tree in the forest.]
398
Haʻalele koa waʻa i koa kanaka.
Thc koa canoe has departed leaving the warriors behind.
[Said when a canoe goes off and leaves the people behind, either in the water or on land.]
464
Hānau ʻia i ka pō Lāʻau, lāʻau nā iwi, he koa.
Born was he on a Lāʻau night for his bones are hard and he is fearless.
[Said of a bold, fearless person. Lāʻau nights are a group of nights in the lunar month. The days following each of these nights are believed to be good for planting trees.]
465
Hānau ʻia i Kaulua, he koa wiwo ʻole.
Born in Kaulua, a warrior brave is he.
[Said of one born in the month of Kaulua.]
697
He koa ka mea hele hoʻokahi i ʻOʻopuloa.
Only a warrior dares to go alone to ʻOʻopuloa.
[Said of a venture fit only for the brave. The way to ʻOʻopuloa, Maui, was feared because of robbers.]
716
He lā koa, he lā heʻe.
A day to be brave, a day to flee.
[In life, there is triumph and defeat. In war, there is winning and losing.]
899
He poʻe koa hoe.
Canoe-paddling warriors.
[A disparaging remark about warriors who are not good fighters.]
1210
I ke kaua e ʻike ʻia ai nā hoaaloha a me nā kānaka koa.
It is in war that one learns who his friends are and who among them is brave.
[One learns who one’s friends are when one faces trouble. Said by Kaʻeo to the chiefs of Oʻahu, who were fighting against Kalanikūpule.]
1407
Kaino he koa no ka lā nui, he koa kā no ka lā iki.
[I thought] you were warriors worthy of a great day, but instead you are warriors of a short day.
[Said of those who flee in cowardice.]
1623
Ka ulu koa i kai o Oneawa.
The koa grove down at Oneawa.
[From the legend of Hiʻiaka. Canoes are sometimes referred to as the koa grove at sea, for canoes in ancient times were made of koa.]
1751
Ke koa ia e laumeki ai kahawai o Hilo.
That is the warrior who will dry the streams of Hilo.
[A powerful warrior.]
1991
Līhuʻe hōʻā wahie lālā koa.
Līhue lights fires with koa branches.
[Līhuʻe, Oʻahu, once had a grove of koa trees whose branches were used for firewood.]
2383
ʻO ia lā he koa no ke ʻano ahiahi; ʻo ia nei no ke ʻano kakahiaka.
He is a warrior of the evening hours; but this person here is of the morning hours.
[That person has had his day and is no longer as active as before; but this person is strong, brave, and ready to show his prowess.]