Yesterday while watching a TV program about the life of a Hawaiian prisoner that finally came out of his cell to find back his family I heard for the first time about the meaning of “aloha”. I found it really beautiful and inspiring… so I had a look up on the Web, and I found these explanations of the word. I hope you will enjoy reading that as much as I did! best greetings, naomi

Aloha & Mahalo

If you learn just two words in Hawaiian, learn these. They are two of the most important words in the Hawaiian language, representing paramount Hawaiian values.

In Hawaiian thinking, words have mana [pronounced: mah' nah], meaning spiritual or divine power], and aloha and mahalo are among the most sacred and powerful.

On a spiritual level, aloha is an invocation of the Divine and mahalo is a Divine blessing. Both are acknowledgments of the Divinity that dwells within and without.

Aloha
[Alo = presence, front, face] + [hâ = breath]
“The presence of (Divine) Breath.”

Mahalo
[Ma = In] + [hâ = breath] + [alo = presence, front, face]
“(May you be) in (Divine) Breath.”

Think of them as single-word blessings or prayers.

The following are dictionary definitions using English words, which are approximate translations, at best:*

Aloha. 1. Aloha, love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection; to venerate; to remember with affection; to greet, to hail. Greetings! Hello! Good-by! Farewell! Alas!

Source: http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/shelties/mahalo-aloha.html