Ha·wai·i or Ha·wai'i (hə-wä'ē, -wī'ē, -vä'ē) Abbr. HI A state of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean comprising the Hawaiian Islands. The islands became a U.S. territory in 1900, which was admitted as the 50th state in 1959. Honolulu, on Oahu, is the capital and the largest city. Population: 1,280,000.
hi (hī) interj.
Informal Used to express greeting. See Regional Note at hey.
greeting, 1862, Amer.Eng. (first recorded reference is to speech of a Kansas Indian), originally to attract attention, probably a variant of M.E. hy, hey (c.1475) also an exclamation to call attention. Extended form hiya attested from 1940.