Meanings
nounkahili (plural kahilis or kahili)
plural kahilis
- HawaiiA feather standard mounted on a pole, as traditionally used in Hawaii on ceremonial occasions.
A dozen or more of these gaudy kahilis were upheld by pallbearers.
1866, Mark Twain, Letter from Hawaii1 more example
Mourners carried a hundred or more kāhili, some highly unusual or old or with special names, such as the malulani (shade of the heavens), a handsome large kāhili of black ostrich feathers.
2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 118
Origin
- Hawaiiankāhili
- Englishkahili
From Hawaiian kāhili.
More words from Hawaiian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
kahili. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kahili
MLA
“kahili.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kahili. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kahili,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kahili.
Source: kahili on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.