Polynesian multihull terminology

This Polynesian terminology is in common use in the Americas and the Pacific but is almost unknown in Europe, where the English terms "hull" and "outrigger" form normal parlance.

They are also the dominant forms of traditional ships in Island Southeast Asian and Malagasy Austronesian cultures, where local terms are used.

Cognates in other Austronesian languages include Ivatan Awang, Tagalog and Visayan bangka, Malay wangkang, and Fijian waqa.

[3] The term ama is a word in the Polynesian and Micronesian languages to describe the outrigger part of a canoe to provide stability.

The most advanced ama are composed of highly curved surfaces that generate lift when driven forward through the water, much like an airplane wing.