Etymology

waka

W4A1K5A1

Today it means: A kind of classical Japanese poem. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Japanese 和歌 ← Middle Chinese 和
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waka · noun1

  1. Middle Chinese · derived from和
  2. Japanese · borrowed from和歌
  3. English todaywaka

Borrowed from Japanese 和歌 (waka), from Middle Chinese 和 (ɣwa), a gloss for 倭 (ʔwa, “Japan”) + 歌 (ka, “song”).

waka · noun2

  1. Māori · borrowed fromwaka
  2. English todaywaka

Borrowed from Māori waka.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A Maori canoe.
  • from 19th c. A broad Maori community consisting of numerous Maori tribes, all sharing common ancestors thought to have come to New Zealand in a particular canoe. (A waka is divided into several iwi.)

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.