"LUA, s. Haw., a pit, hole, cave; v. to dig a hole; also in ancient times a process of killing a man by breaking his back or bones; lua-lua, be flexible, pliant, soft, old garments, a road with many small ravines crossing it; lua-u and lua-ni, a parent; lua-hine, an old woman. Mang., rue-ine, id.

Sam., lua, hole, pit; lua-o, an abyss.

Tah., rua, hole, pit; rua-rua, to slander, to backbite; rufa, worn out, as garments; rua-u, old, stricken in years; s. old man or woman.

Tong., luo, hole. N. Zeal., rua, id. Fiji., rusa, decayed perished.

Malg., loakh, luaka, hole, cave, pierced.

Greek, τρυω, τρυχω, to rub down, wear out, waste; τρυςω, toil, labour; τρυπα, τρυμη, a hole; τρυπανον, a borer, auger; τρυχος, a tattered garment, rags; τρυφη, softness, delicacy; θρυπτω, break in pieces.

Liddell and Scott refer these words to τειρω, to rub, rub away, as derivatives of it, wear out, and τειρω, to the Sanskrit tŗi, to pass over, hasten, fulfil, &c.

Benfey also concurs in that derivation when he refers τρυμα, a hole, and τρυτανη, the tongue of a balance, to the same tŗi.

With due deference to so great authorities, I would suggest that the above group of Greek words be referred to the Sanskrit ru, lu, lædere, secare, with the prefix t; and they would thus at once fall into line with their Polynesian relatives, whose development of sense is perfectly analogous to the Greek group, though their development of form has been arrested.

It may be noted, moreover, as distinctive of the two roots, tŗi and ru, that while from the former - to pass over frequently, to rub, to smootheen - the idea of 'young, fresh, a youth' (taruna), 'soft, delicate' (τερην), 'tender, soft, and childhood' (tener), were developed, the root ru, lu, gave birth to the idea of 'old age, weakness, crumpled, flexible, as an old garment'; lua, lua-u, τρυχος.

Lat., trua, trulla, a tray, ladle, basin; ruo , to tumble down, but whose primary sense must have been 'to dig', as evidenced in the phrase 'ruta et cæsa', and in rutrum, a spade, mattock. Quære, rus, country, from ruo, to dig, cultivate?

Goth., riurs, mortal, corruptible. Scand., rye; Swed., rycka, pull up, pluck out.

Anc. Slav., ryti, to dig; ruvati, to tear away.

Irish, ruam, a spade; rumhar, a mine; rumahar, labour."

(Fornander)