kahuna

US //kəˈhunə// UK //kæhˈuːnɐ// kahu·na

Origin

Borrowed from Hawaiian kahuna (“shaman, wizard”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms1 entry

01
big kahuna
A boss, leader, chieftain, or top-ranking person in an organization.

Last updated April 17, 2026

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