ahu
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of ahu
From Hawaiian
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During this time, construction of ceremonial "ahu" platforms slowed, Rano Kao became a key ritual center, and a new social system known as "Tangata Manu" emerged.
From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026
When an important Rapanui died, some of his bones were placed under the ceremonial platform called an ahu and his spirit had the possibility of rebirth after a craftsman carved a moai in his likeness.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2022
When Chile leased the island, the foreigners who took over stripped all Rapanui tribes of their property, though several ahu and moai can still be seen on land they used to control.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2022
Beno informed me that it was a moai, about 20 feet long, most likely toppled accidentally when its carvers were moving it from the quarry to its stone platform, known as an ahu.
From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2016
Oni aku Hilo, oni ku'u kai lipo-lipo, A Lele-iwi, ku'u kai ahu mimiki a ka Malua.
From Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Emerson, Nathaniel Bright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
