Definition of "awa" []

• A Scotch form of away.
• A name, in Hawaii and other islands of Polynesia, of a plant of the pepper family, Piper methysticum, from which the natives prepare a beverage. (noun)
• The beverage prepared from awa. See kava. (noun)
• The common Hawaiian name of the milk-fish, Chanos chanos. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "There was mirth, there was laughter but nothin 'awa'."
• ""Ca 'awa' -- I'm the man for ye if it's sae muckle ye're willin 'tae pay me.""
• "Despite such metaphysical quibbles, he threw himself completely into the Hawaiian experience, touring the marketplace at Honolulu on a Saturday, when the Kanakas gathered to trade, feast, drink a “fearful” brew called awa that was said to cause “premature decrepitude,” and watch the maidens dance the restricted hula an 1859 ordinance required a ten-dollar fee and limited the dance to private nighttime performances."