A Hawaiian word for an expert or master in something, often used informally in English.
From Hawaiian 'kahuna,' meaning a priest, expert, or skilled person. The term was used in Hawaiian culture for those with specialized knowledge in surfing, healing, or religion, and was adopted into English in the 20th century.
The term 'big kahuna' became popular in surf culture to mean the best surfer or most important person—Hawaiian words like this show how surfing culture, which started in Hawaii, completely changed how English speakers talk about expertise and cool!
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