http://wordie.org/words/haole Comments for the word 'Haole' http://wordie.org http://wordie.org/words/haole#comments Pronounced: "How-leh" in the Hawaiian language, means "foreign" or "foreigner"; it can be used in reference to people, plants, and animals. A common popular etymology claim is that the word is derived from "hāʻole", literally meaning "no breath". Some Hawaiians say that because foreigners did not know or use the honi (the Hawaiian word for "kiss"), a Polynesian/Hawaiian greeting by touching nose-to-nose and inhaling or essentially sharing each other's breaths, and so the foreigners were described as "breathless." The implication is not only that foreigners are aloof and ignorant of local ways, but also literally have no spirit or life within. (Wikipedia) Wed, 28 May 2008 22:52:52 +0000 http://wordie.org/words/haole#comments