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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

tuatahi

1. (modifier) first.

Anei rā tā mātau maramataka tā te Māori mai i te rā tuatahi o te marama ki te toru tekau mā tahi o ngā rā o te marama (HP 1991:30). / Here is the almanac according to the Māori, from the first day to the thirty-first day of the month.

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See also tua-

mataati

1. (stative) be first, first procured or produced.

Whaihoki i tae anō a ia ki te haumi i te Pākehā i ngā rā o te Pākehā i noho mataati ai i Taranaki (TW 13/1/1877:13). / Furthermore he also allied himself with the Pākehā in the days when they first settled in Taranaki.

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mātua

1. (modifier) first, important, large, must, before others - stands before verbs to indicate that the activity is/was/should be carried out first, before some other stated or implied action.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 47-48;)

Me mātua hopu koe i te heihei, ka patu ai. / First, you should catch the chook, then kill it.

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Synonyms: hōpurupuru, rawa, me, katete, korahi, tetere, matararahi, nunui, whakahara, mokorahi, pūhetī, kaitā, mātuatua, kūpara, rahi, pūwharu, whakatikotiko, pūharu, pūwheti, tuangea, ruarangi, nui, hira, mokorarahi, matarahi, rarahi


2. (modifier) firstly, first and foremost, primarily - placed before verbs to indicate what comes first as a priority. This usage is associated with a command.

I runga i te retinga ki ngā Pākehā, me mātua whakapai e aua Pākehā te whenua, arā me turaki ngā rākau, ka tahu ki te ahi, ka rū ki te karaihe, ko tōna tikanga whakapai tēnā (TJ 23/2/1899:2). / With regard to leasing to the Pākehā, firstly they should improve the land, that is, they should clear the trees, burn them and sow with grass; that's what improve means.

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ika i te ati

1. (noun) first person slain in battle, first victim.

He toa reia, kāore he tirotiro ki te ao mārama; māna te ika i te ati, te mātāika o te parekura (M 2006:124). / A warrior much sought after, he does not seek the world of light, but for the first victim, the first fish in battle.

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tahi

1. (numeral) one, single, 1 - as in counting out things, in which case each number is preceded by ka.

Ka tīmata te tatau, "Ka tahi, ka rua, ka toru, ka whā, ka rima, ka ono, ka whitu, ka waru, ka iwa." (NM 1928:359). / She began counting them, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine."

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See also tuatahi

Synonyms: mea, kotahi, kōtahitahi, tētehi, tētahi


2. (numeral) firstly, first of all - when preceded by ka.

Tono rawa ia kia whakaaetia te wahine kia pōti ka tahi; ka rua, i tono hoki ia kia tū hoki he mema wāhine ki roto i te Pāremata Māori (TTR 1994:54). / She requested not only that women be given the vote, but that they be eligible to sit as women members in the Māori parliament.

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3. (numeral) first, 1st - when used with this meaning it is preceded by te and followed by o.

E rua anō ngā rā nui o te tau o te Ringatū i hiwaia e ia, arā, ko te huamata i te tahi o Hune me te pure i te tahi o Noema (TTR 1998:27). / There were two special days in the Ringatū year on which he focused, namely, the planting rites (huamata) on the first day of June, and the harvest rite (pure) on the first day of November.

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4. one ... the other, each - when repeated.

Kitea te nui o te aurei, o te kuru pounamu ki runga ki te pakihiwi o Tapuae, te here o ngā kākahu o te māhiti, me te wahine a Tapuae, he wahine rangatira hoki, he kākahu kiwi te kākahu, me ngā kōtore huia te rākai ki tahi taha, ki tahi taha, o te māhuna, ko te tiki ki te poho, ko ngā tautau tongarerewa ki tahi pakihiwi, ki tahi (TP 9/1908:3). / An abundance of ivory pins and greenstone ornaments could be seen on Tapuae's shoulder, fastening his garments and his māhiti. His wife too, a well-born woman, was wearing a kiwi cloak, with tail feathers of the huia adorning both sides of her head, a tiki on her breast, and quite a cluster of greenstone drops on each shoulder.

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5. (modifier) together, simultaneously, as one, in unison, at the same time, concurrently, both, all - indicates that two or more things are happening or being affected by something at the same time.

Ki te kai te wahine hapū i te hikareti, ka kai tahi te pēpe e noho ake rā i roto i a ia (TP 1/1908:4). / If a pregnant woman smokes cigarettes, the baby that is inside her partakes too.

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6. (modifier) actually, no less, absolutely - used after a word to intensify or to add emphasis.

Erangi, kātahi au ka whāki tahi i aua kupu tahi, “Kāore anō he iwi e toitū nei mō tēnei ao.” (JPS 1990:155). / But, then I actually revealed those very words, “There is not yet an undefeated tribe in this world.”
Kei te kaikā rawa ngā taitamariki ki te whakawātea i ngā tēpu. Kāore tahi anō i mutu taku kai, ka kawea taku pereti (HJ 2015:110). / The young people are too eager to clear the tables. I had not even finished my meal when my plate was taken away.

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Synonyms: mārika, mōrukaruka, mārire, pohapoha, ehara ehara, piropiro, hāwerewere, rukaruka, mārie, puru, , anō, moruka, te mutunga (kē) mai (nei) o te ...

mua kai kai

1. (electoral system) first-past-the-post.

mātāmua

1. (modifier) first, elder.

Te naomanga atu o te tama mātāmua ki te paihere rākau, whakauaua noa, ko tōna tangata mārōrō taua korokē, whakauaua noa, tē whati (TMT 15/4/1861:14). / The eldest son grabbed the bundle of sticks and tried strenuously again and again - that fellow was very strong - but be could not succeed in breaking them.

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2. (modifier) fore, front (of limbs).

Ka ngaro katoa hoki ngā peke mātāmua ki roto ki ngā koro (NM 1928:128). / And the fore limbs totally disappeared into the nooses.

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3. (noun) first-born, oldest child.

He māhanga ngā mātāmua, he tāne (HP 1991:13). / The first-born were twins, and males.

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4. (noun) high card (cards), highest card - a poker hand made of any five cards, where the only thing of any potential meaning in the hand is the highest card.

whakaora whawhati tata

1. (noun) first aid.

wāhanga tuatahi

1. (noun) first half.

ko [tōku] tuatahi

1. [my] first time, the first time.

Ko tōku tuatahi ki te kite i a Ātirīkona Wīremu, arā, i a Mita Hamiora, nō tōku taenga ki te kura i Te Aute (TP 4/1907:2). / The first time I saw Archdeacon William, otherwise known as Mr Samuel, was when I started at Te Aute College.

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Mātahi o te tau

1. (personal noun) first month of the Māori year. Its beginning was indicated by the first appearance of Matariki (Pleiades) on the eastern horizon before sunrise, about the 15 June. Sometimes shortened to Mātahi.

Ko te mātahi o te tau Māori (hei te takiwā o Hune) te wā e rere ai te piharau (Te Ara 2011). / The first month of the Māori year (around June) is the time when the lamprey are running.

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2. (personal noun) eleventh lunar month of the Māori year - approximately equivalent to April.

He paku rerekē te Mātahi, i te mea e whakamahia ana mō te marama ngahuru mā tahi me te marama tuatahi, arā, mō Paengawhāwhā me Pipiri anō hoki (HJ 2012:142). / Mātahi is a little different because it is used for the eleventh and first months, that is for Paengawhāwhā and Pipiri.

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aho tapu

1. (noun) sacred first line - the first line in weaving that sets the rest of the pattern.

E kīia ana e ngā kaumātua ko te aho tāniko tuatahi he aho tapu tērā (TAH 21:27). / The elders call the first cross-thread in finger weaving the aho tapu, the sacred thread.

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aho tāhuhu

1. (noun) first weft - the first line in weaving that sets the rest of the pattern.

Ko te aho tāhuhu, koia te aho tuatahi o te whatunga tāniko. Ki ētahi, ko te aho tapu. Ko tā tēnei aho, he pupuri i ngā whenu, he whakatakoto hoki i te tūāpapa o te tauira e whatua ana (RTA 2014:74). / The first weft, which is the first weft line of tāniko weaving. Some call this the sacred weft. The purpose of this weft is to hold the warp strands and to set the foundation of the pattern being woven.

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See also aho tapu

whakamata

1. (noun) first woven line that provides the foundation in weaving a cloak.

tamāroa

1. (noun) first-born son.

Ka tuhia e ia ngā tikanga a ngā tohunga, me ngā tikanga whakahoro tamāroa (TTR 1998:75). / He wrote of the rituals of tohunga, and the methods of passing on knowledge to first-born sons.

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oroko

1. (stative) for the first time - when followed by a derived noun, e.g. oroko taenga mai.

Me hoki te iwi Māori ki te karakia pono ki Te Atua pono, i karakia ai ngā kaumātua, i ngā rā o te oroko taenga mai o ngā minita o Te Atua pono (TW 26/5/1877:197). / The Māori people should return to the authentic prayers to the true God that the elders recited in the days of the first arrival of the ministers of the true God.
Whakatapua māku ngā mea mātāmua katoa; ngā mea katoa a ngā tama a Iharaira e oroko puta mai ana i te kōpū, a te tangata, a te kararehe, māku (PT Ekoruhe 13:2). / Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

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te kino kē hoki

1. excellent, really skilled, masterful, first-rate, top-notch, outstanding, superb, exceptional - an idiom to express praise for someone, an action or some other aspect. Both or either te and hoki may be omitted, while te may be replaced by ka or he.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 77;)

Te kino kē hoki o te tangata rā ki te whakaangi manu aute (HKK 1999:27). / That man is excellent at flying kites.
Kino kē kōrua, e hoa mā! / You two are good alright, my friends!
Ka kino kē hoki te tāhae rā ki te purei tēnehi. / That fellow is top-notch at playing tennis.
He kino kē te kuia rā ki te whatu kākahu. / That elderly lady is first-rate at weaving cloaks.

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Synonyms: kaiaka, ka mahi ..., taiea, taumata rau, tapatapahi ana, kōhure, whakaharahara, ahurei, kātuarehe

kanoi

1. (verb) to twist (as in making a rope or cord), twine.

Ko te mironga o te whītau hei aho miro ai ki runga i te turi, whakamākūkū ai a roto o te ringa ki te hūare, kia huri ai te kanoi o te whītau, ka miro (M 2006:114). / The twisting of the fibre into a thread was done on the knee, the palm of the hand being moistened with saliva so that the strand of the flax fibre twisted.

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2. (verb) to weave the aho tāhuhu (first weft) of a garment.

Mā te tohunga e kanoi te kahu (W 1971:94). / The expert will weave the cloak's first weft.

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3. (verb) to trace one's descent, have authority.

Kāhore he tangata, arā he tupuna i kanoi ki te rangatiratanga hei pēhi i te kino, hei hāpai i te tika mō ngā tāngata o tēnei motu, kia noho pai ai rātou (TP 2/1909:6). / There was nobody, that is an ancestor, who had the authority and status to suppress evil and maintain justice for the people of this country, so that they lived in harmony.

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4. (noun) strand (of a cord or rope).

E whā ngā kanoi o tēnā taura (W 1971:94). / That rope has four strands.

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5. (noun) authority, expert.

Kāore he kanoi i kō atu i a Tiramōrehu mō ngā kōrero tīpuna Māori o Te Waipounamu (TTR 1990:350). / There was no authority on the Māori traditions of the South Island better than Tiramōrehu.

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kāwhatuwhatu

1. (noun) first piece woven by a learner.

topa tahi

1. (noun) first five-eighth, fly-half, stand-off half (rugby and rugby league).

See also topatahi

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