Etymology

koha

ko·ha
K5O1H4A1

Today it means: A Māori tradition of reciprocal giving of gifts. Full definition →

Māori koha
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koha · noun1

  1. Māori · borrowed fromkoha“regard, respect; gift, present”
  2. English todaykoha

Borrowed from Māori koha (“regard, respect; gift, present”).

koha · noun2

  1. Sinhalese · borrowed fromකෝ + හඩ“cuckoo”
  2. Sinhalese · borrowed fromකොහා“cuckoo”
  3. English todaykoha

Borrowed from Sinhalese කොහා (kohā, “cuckoo”), probably from Sinhalese කෝ + හඩ (kō + haḍa, “cuckoo”) or ultimately as the abbreviation of the word tells, the imitation of the chirping and trilling sound.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.