Etymology

papalagi

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Today it means: In Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand, a white person; a palagi. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Samoan papālagi ← Tongan papālagi
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The story

  1. Tongan · derived frompapālagi
  2. Samoan · borrowed frompapālagi
  3. English todaypapalagi

From Samoan papālagi, Tongan papālagi. Compare palagi.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. In Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand, a white person; a palagi.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.