Skip to content

Papeete

proper noun

  1. capital of French Polynesia
L1409867 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

name

Etymology: From Tahitian pape (“water”) + Tahitian ʻete (“basket”) (cognate with Māori kete, Niuean kato, 'Are'are kato, Hawaiian ʻeke (“sack”). This probably refers to the mountains condensing and collecting rain in the Papeete basin.

  1. The capital city of French Polynesia.

    Things did not turn out as he hoped. Having reached Tahiti in June 1891, he soon fled the island's Europeanized capital, Papeete, for the village of Mataiea, where he met Teha'amana, 14, who became his mistress and model.