purau

P3U1R1A1U1

noun

A Polynesian shrub or small tree, Hibiscus tiliaceus, having yellow flowers and a fibrous bark.

Similar
mahoemajaguamahaguabalibagoHibiscus tiliaceus
OriginTahitian pūrau →
First used 18th c.Scrabble 7
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Meanings

nounpurau (plural puraus)

plural puraus · alternative purao · alternative purow

  1. A Polynesian shrub or small tree, Hibiscus tiliaceus, having yellow flowers and a fibrous bark.First known use 18th c.

    The trees that came within our knowledge were the manchineal and a species of purow […].

    1790, William Bligh, A Narrative of the Mutiny
    1 more example

    In the whole length of the single shoreside street, with […] its grateful shade of palms and green jungle of puraos, no moving figure could be seen.

    1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lloyd Osbourne, The Wrecker, Prologue 2

Synonyms & antonyms

nounshrubby tree widely distributed along tropical shores; yields a light tough wood used for canoe outriggers and a fiber used for cordage and caulk; often cultivated for ornament

Similar
mahoemajaguamahaguabalibagoHibiscus tiliaceus
Broader
hibiscus
Also see
balibagomahoemajagua

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Tahitianpūrau
  2. Englishpurau

From Tahitian pūrau.

More words from Tahitian

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

urupa
Cite this entry
APA

purau. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purau

MLA

“purau.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purau. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “purau,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purau.

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