Meaning
A person of Hawaiian descent.
Etymology
Origin: Indigenous languages
1840. From Hawaiian kanaka (“person”), ultimately from Proto-Polynesian *taŋata.
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.