Aaliis

/ɑːˈliːiz/ noun

Definition

Plural form of aalii; multiple Hawaiian shrubs or the collective plants of this species.

Etymology

Standard English plural formation (-s suffix) added to the Hawaiian word 'aalii.' English pluralizes Hawaiian and other foreign words by simply adding '-s,' even when that's not how the original language would pluralize it.

Kelly Says

English is ruthlessly aggressive about pluralization—we just add 's' to every foreign word we adopt, even though Hawaiian, Arabic, and other languages have their own plural systems. It's linguistic colonization in miniature.

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