Hawaiian Noun · Spirit
heiau
Pronunciation: /HEH-ee-au/
Meaning
Pre-Christian place of worship; a temple or sacred structure.
Example sentences
Ua mālama ʻia ka heiau kahiko ma ka pali no ka hoʻomana ʻana i nā akua.
The ancient heiau on the cliff was preserved for worshipping the gods.
Pono kākou e hoʻomaʻemaʻe i kēia heiau i kēia lā.
We must clean this heiau today.
Ma waena o nā mea kahiko i ʻike ai mākou, ʻo ka heiau ka mea kupanaha loa.
Among the ancient things we saw, the heiau was the most wondrous.
About this word
“heiau” is a Hawaiian noun meaning Pre-Christian place of worship; a temple or sacred structure. It is part of the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) vocabulary in the category of Spirit. Definitions are based on the Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary.