Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

whatu

1. (noun) eye, pupil of the eye, anchor, kernel (of fruit).

Ina rā, te pūhutihuti me te mā o ngā makawe, te kikorangi o ngā whatu, te tāroaroa o te hanga, te paipa i te waha, he pāhau te kanohi, me tana kāmeta mau haere tonu e pūhia ana e te hau kaha o Pōneke (TTR 1996:188). / Tall, bearded, with a shock of white hair and blue eyes, pipe in mouth, ever-present scarf flicking about in Wellington's stiffer breezes, he was instantly recognisable (DNZB 1996:493).

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) hailstone, hail.

Nō te 10 o ngā rā o te marama nei i te rua o ngā hāora o te awatea, ka ua tētahi ua, 10 meneti i ua ai. Kātahi ka rere he whatu (he nganga ki ētahi reo) (TKO 1/11/1917:9). / On the 10th of this month at 2 pm, it rained for 10 minutes. Then some hail fell.

Show example

Hide example

See also ua whatu, nganga


3. (noun) initiation stone - a stone swallowed by the pupil (tauira) during his initiation as a tohunga.

Ko te whatu he kōhatu, ko te kōhatu, arā ko te hira o te hua rākau, o te karaka, etc. Ko te whatu e whāngaitia ana ki te tauira ako i te mahi tohunga; ka waiho hei ingoa mō te tauira (M 2006:198). / The 'whatu' is a stone and 'kōhatu' is the used for the abundance of fruit, of the karaka tree, etc. A stone (whatu) was fed to the scholar in priestly activities; and as a result it was used as a name for the scholar.

Show example

Hide example


4. (noun) stone.

Ko te whatu i te pou tuarongo te wāhi tapu, ko te Kura a Tangaroa, he kōwhatu āhua pūwhero nei, he kōwhatu nō te kei o 'Kurahaupō' (JPS 1925:307). / The stone deposited at the rear post of the house marked the tapu spot and it was the Kura a Tangaroa. It was a reddish stone, being a stone belonging to the stern of 'Kurahaupō'.

Show example

Hide example


5. (noun) rāhui stone - a stone invested by the tohunga with powers for rendering a rāhui effective. Karakia are recited and the whatu is hidden away from the pou rāhui.

whatu

1. (verb) (-a) to weave (garments, baskets, etc.), knit.

Whatua mai te aho kia kāwitiwiti, kia kātoatoa mō te oti wawe, e hine! (TTT 1/4/1929:s178) / For an earlier completion, weave the cross threads so that they taper and contract, girl!

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: nitiniti


2. (noun) finger-weaving, fibre-weaving.

Nā te mate haere o ana kanohi, pāngia ake hoki e te kaikōiwi, ka uaua tana whakaoti i te whatu manganga (TTR 2000:76). / Failing eyesight and arthritis made it difficult for her to complete intricate weaving.

Show example

Hide example

ua whatu

1. (noun) hail.

Tetetete ana te tuanui i te ua whatu (PK 2008:1026). / The roof rattled with the hail.

Show example

Hide example

whatu aho rua

1. (noun) double weft twining.

Ko te whatu aho rua, koia te whatunga takirua i ngā aho (RTA 2014:75). / Double weft twining is the weaving of the weft in pairs.

Show example

Hide example

whatu aho pātahi

1. (noun) single weft twining.

Ko te whatu aho pātahi. koia te whatunga takitahi i ngā aho. I te tāniko, he rangitāmiro te mahi (RTA 2014:75). / Single weft twining is the weaving of single wefts. With tāniko, it is twisting them together.

Show example

Hide example

āpōpō ka tīkaro ō whatu ki Mahurangi

1. eat up for there may be no food tomorrow - an idiom said to a child who hasn't eaten her/his food. It suggests that there may be no food tomorrow in the hope that the child realises he/she must eat.

Pare: Ka rua rā pea tāua e haere ana, kātahi anō ka tae. Anei tā tāua parāoa hei ō haere mā tāua. Rangi: Hei aha māku tō parāoa maroke nā. Whāngaihia atu ki tō hōiho. Pare: E kī! Āpōpō ka tīkoro ō whatu ki Mahurangi (HKK 1999:158). / Pare: We will be travelling for about two days before we arrive. Here is our bread as our food for the journey. Rangi: Your dry bread is not for me. Feed it to your horse. Pare: You don't say! You'd better eat up for there may be no food tomorrow.

Show example

Hide example

whatukura

1. (noun) an order of male supernatural beings corresponding to the female māreikura.

Ko te rangi i noho ai te atua, ko Toi-o-ngā-rangi, arā ko Tikitiki-o-rangi. Ko ngā atua e uru atu ana ki reira ko ngā whatukura, he atua tāne. Ko tō rātou whare ko Rangiātea (TTT 1/5/1924:38). / The heaven where the atua dwells is Toi-o-ngā-rangi, that is Tikitiki-o-rangi. The atua that enter there are the the whatukura, the male atua. Their house is Rangiātea.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) stones of knowledge in the whare wānanga.

Kei roto te whatukura a Tāne, a Tangaroa e takoto ana (JPS 1927:354). / Within were lying the sacred stones of Tāne and Tangaroa.

Show example

Hide example

Hāpuku, Te

1. (personal name) (?-1878) Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Te Whatu-i-āpiti; chief, farmer and assessor.

Te Kākano 3rd Edition

New edition of the leading Māori-language textbook out now.

More info

The App

Te Aka Māori Dictionary is also available as an iOS and Android app. Download below.

iOS Android

The Book

Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index by John C Moorfield comprises a selection of modern and everyday language that will be extremely useful for learners of the Māori language.

More info

He Pātaka Kupu

Te kai a te rangatira

He Pātaka Kupu is a monolingual Māori language dictionary, and was designed using its own culturally authentic terms.

Visit website

00:00