pilin.
/ˈpiːli/, U.S. /ˈpili/ In Hawaii: the pantropical grass Heteropogon contortus, favoured as a thatching material. Also pili grass.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > grasses > other grasses
sirki1801
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wiwi1840
khus khus1851
pili1854
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sweet-grass1973
1854 E. T. Perkins Na Motu 121 It [sc. a Hawaiian house] is then ready for thatching, and for this purpose the coarse grass called píli is used.
1888 W. Hillebrand Flora Hawaiian Islands 508 Common on all islands, the ‘Pili’ of the natives, very troublesome on account of its awns, which get entangled in the wool of sheep.
1915 W. A. Bryan Nat. Hist. Hawaii v. 59 Should a chief order a house built, certain men would cut the timbers, others gather the pili grass.
1934 M. D. Frear Lowell & Abigail ii. 94 It was easy to accept the Hawaiian roof of thatch, using..ti leaf where pili grass was not to be had.
1965 M. C. Neal In Gardens of Hawaii 80 In Hawaii, pili was preferred to other thatch material because of its pleasant odor, brown color, and neat appearance.
1996 G. Ward Hawaii: Rough Guide ii. i. 81 Standing as usual on a platform of smooth stones, it's windowless, and thatched with pili grass.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1854