Alula

Pinterest

Origin: Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian

Meaning: Alula is a name that has a lot of origins and quite a few meanings. In Arabic, it means either "first leap" or "firstborn". 

In Latin, it comes from ala, meaning "wing", and alula is its diminutive, meaning "winglet"; alulae is its plural form. Alula is the name referred to a part of a bird’s wing, which has 3 to 5 small wing feathers depending on the species and helps the birds navigate through the air. 

Alula (or Ōlulu) is also what the Brighamia insignia is commonly referred to, a critically endangered plant species unique to Hawaii. 

It’s also a word in Chamarro, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Guam but which is in danger of becoming extinct; it means "to hasten, hurry". I’ve also seen it written as alulaye, which I think is a plural form of the word but I’m not sure on that.