Lapita

L1A1P3I1T1A1

proper noun

An ancient material culture of Oceania who may have spoken Proto-Oceanic and were the ancestors of many modern peoples in the region.

Originhvk xapeta'a →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. An ancient material culture of Oceania who may have spoken Proto-Oceanic and were the ancestors of many modern peoples in the region.

Origin

  1. hvkxapeta'a“place where one digs a hole”
  2. EnglishLapita

Coined 1952 by Edwin Gifford from Haveke xapeta'a (“place where one digs a hole”), believed to be in reference to archeological excavations in New Caledonia.

More words from hvk

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

LipataApalitaliptaAlitap
Cite this entry
APA

Lapita. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lapita

MLA

“Lapita.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lapita. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lapita,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lapita.

Source: Lapita on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.