A Hawaiian plant, the wild ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), used traditionally in Hawaiian culture.
From Hawaiian 'awapuhi, a Polynesian word for the plant. The term was retained in English when referring to Hawaiian traditional practices and botany.
The 'awapuhi plant was so important to Hawaiian culture for medicine and ceremony that the word stuck in English—it's how indigenous knowledge gets preserved when outsiders actually respect local names.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.