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3. I earlier wrote 'eating' (within quotations marks) as a description of what kai means, but other meanings are joining in, for instance 'eclipse':

Kai

1. Ina kai; verbal negation (but not used with the imperative); ina kai kai matou, we have not eaten. 2. To eat; meal. 3. Fruits or produces of the land, vegetables, edible plants. 4. Figuratively: he-kai ite rogorogo, to recite the inscriptions kohau rogorogo (as spiritual food). 5. Eclipse: ku-kai-á te raá, te mahina, the sun, the moon has been eaten (eclipsed).

1. Negative; kai rogo, to fast; kai oho, to forego; kai maa, to be ignorant, to doubt; vave kai kohe, inaccessible; ina kai, see ina 1. Ta.: ai, no. 2. To undergo, to suffer. 3. Sharp, cutting. T Mgv.: koi, koikoi, pointed, sharp, adapted for cutting; kokoi, prickly, stinging, irritating. Mq.: koi, sharp, cutting. Ta.: oi, sharp, keen. Since this is the only language which has kai in this sense the possibility of typographical error should not be overlooked. The form koi outside of Southeast Polynesia is found in Maori, Rarotonga and Hawaii. 4. To eat, to feed, to feast; food, meat, a meal, repast; kai nui, provision, intemperate, voracious; kai no iti, sober, temperate; hue ki te kai, to victual; kai taria te kai, abundance, to abound; hakapee no kai hoao, abundance, to abound. Kaia, eaten. P Pau.: kai, food, to eat. Mgv.: kai, food, nourishment, to eat. Mq.: kai, ai, food, to eat. Ta.: ai, to eat. 5. Hakakai, to take, to attack. Mgv.: kai, to receive. Mq.: ai, to catch some one, to seek to surprise. Ta.: ai, to receive, to get possession of, to become master of.

Kaihue, a heap of food. Kaikino, selfish, avaricious, faithless, ingrate, miserly, rascal. Mq.: kaikino, selfish, stingy, avaricious. Kaipurua, issue, outlet, egress. Kaitagata, cannibal; paoa kaitagata, cannibal, savage.  Kaiu, nursling, suckling. Pau.: kaiu, a child at the breast. Mq.: kaiu, child at the breast, unweaned, suckling, young of animals. Ta.: aiu, nursling.

Pau.: Fakakai, earring. Ta.: faaai, ear ornament. Mq.: hakakai, id. Ma.: whakakai, id. Kaikaia, a league, a plot. Mgv.: kaia, cruel, cannibal. Ta.: aiaa, fault, sin. Mq.: kaia, quarrelsome. Ma.: kaia, to steal. Kaito, brave, robust. Ta.: aito, brave. Ma.: kaitoa, a brave man. Kaitoa, well and good! Ta.: aitoa, good! Ma.: kaitoa, id. Kaitura, bravery, manhood. Ta.: turatura, honored, exalted. Mgv.: Kaiota, raw food. Ta.: aiota, raw, ill cooked. Ma.: kaiota, id.

Ta.: Ai, a bet, a wager, a game. Mq.: kai, to throw lots, to lose a game. Sa.: 'ai, a count toward the score of a game. Ma.: kai, a puzzling toy. Aihamu, to eat leavings. Mq.: kaihamu, id.

Mq.: Kaiheehee, to go from place to place to enjoy feasts. Sa.: 'aisee, to beg food at feasts. Kaihue, thief. Ha.: aihue, to steal. Kaika, a meal, feast. Sa.: 'aiga, meal. Ha.: aina, id. Kaioto, a sort of hemorrhage, piles. Sa.: 'ailoto, a cancerous ulcer. Kaitu, to perfume oneself during a tabu period when it was forbidden. Ha.: aiku, to break a tabu.

A ring in the ear is fakakai (haka-kai, 'make to eat') according to the Tuamotuan (Paumotuan) diaclect, and we can guess kai basically means an orifice, an opening into which things can disappear.