Hawaii

or Ha·wai·'i

[ huh-wahy-ee, -wah-; Hawaiian -wah-yuh, hah-vah-ee ]

noun

1. a state of the United States comprising the northern Pacific islands of Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, and Oahu: a U.S. territory 1900–59; admitted to the Union 1959. 6,424 sq. mi. (16,715 sq. km). : Honolulu. : HI (for use with zip code), Haw.
2. Official_name Island of Hawaii. Also called Hawaii Island,. the largest island of Hawaii, in the southeastern part of the state. 4,028 sq. mi. (10,430 sq. km).
3. Kingdom of Hawaii. the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Hawaii

/ həˈwaɪɪ /

noun

1. a state of the US in the central Pacific, consisting of over 20 volcanic islands and atolls, including Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Molokai: discovered by Captain Cook in 1778; annexed by the US in 1898; naval base at Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese in 1941, a major cause of US entry into World War II; became a state in 1959. Capital: Honolulu. Pop: 1 257 608 (2003 est). Area: 16 640 sq km (6425 sq miles) Former nameSandwich Islands AbbreviationHawith zip codeHI

Hawaii

1. State located in the Pacific Ocean southwest of the mainland United States; consists mainly of a chain of eight islands, including Hawaii, the largest, and Oahu, location of Honolulu , the state's capital and largest city.

Spelling Note

Hawaii and Hawai'i are used interchangeably, with Hawaii being predominant, especially in government. It is conventional for departments of the state to use Hawaii in letterheads, seals, flags, signs, forms, licenses, and other official documents. It is not, however, unusual to find Hawai'i within the text of a letter, report, etc., that has Hawaii in the letterhead or seal.

Notes

Location of Pearl Harbor .

Fiftieth state, admitted in 1959.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hawaii¹

From Hawaiian Hawai'i

Example Sentences

A Hawaii woman disappeared after sending a cryptic message to her family and then missing a connecting flight to New York at Los Angeles International Airport, according to her family and police.

From Los Angeles Times

She is a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who switched parties to support Trump.

From BBC

He watched as the whole of Hawaii seemed to galvanize around them and boys emulated them, promising their friends they would be the next Marcus or Tua someday.

From Los Angeles Times

She was first elected to the Hawaii State Legislature aged 21 in 2002, the youngest person ever elected in the state.

From BBC

To decompress, he spent time in Hawaii and at his home in Washington, but he didn’t stop writing.

From Los Angeles Times