Pipi

1.  Hawaiian pearl oyster. 
2. feelers of an insect, as of an ant. 
3. a leafless plant, also called moa (Psilotum).
4. a kind of tapa. 
5. body depression; eyeball. 
6. lower part of an adze. 
7. beef, cattle, ox.

I am on an animal theme with todayʻs Hawaiian word.  


Pipi most often refers to beef, cattle or ox.  In fact, the word pipi is also found in older palapala, or documents, written as bipi.  It comes directly from the English word beef.  And since we only get beef from cattle it makes sense that pipi refers to cattle.

Do you like to eat pipi kaula?  That is our local beef jerky.  Literally this word means "rope beef."

pipi wahine - cow (female beef)

pipi waiū - dairy cow (milk beef)

pipi kāne - bull (male beef)

pipi laho - bull (laho refers to scrotum and when used with animal words it means "male")

pipi keiki - calf

He pipi kaulana 'o Lani Moo - Lani Moo was a famous cow.

Nui ka pipi ma Waimea - There is a lot of beef/cattle in Waimea.