Etymology

paua

P3A1U1A1

Today it means: Any of several large, edible abalones of New Zealand, especially Haliotis iris, whose shell is used to make jewelry. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Māori pāua
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The story

  1. Māori · borrowed frompāua
  2. Māori · borrowed frompāua
  3. English todaypaua

Borrowed from Māori pāua.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. Any of several large, edible abalones of New Zealand, especially Haliotis iris, whose shell is used to make jewelry.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.