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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

pūrātoke

1. (verb) to glow, gleam.

Ka kitea, i tētahi taha o te huarahi e haere atu nei ia, e rua ngā mea e pūrātoke mai ana i roto i te wāhi ururua. Mōhio tonu ia he kanohi kurī kai tangata e rarama mai ana (TWM 11/7/1863:3). / On one side of the road along which he was travelling he saw two things glowing in the undergrowth. He knew immediately that they were the gleaming eyes of a man-eating animal.

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2. (noun) glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, glowworm larvae - common on the walls of caves, damp road banks and riverbanks. The larvae live in a slimy, tube-like nest. Each has up to 70 sticky 'fishing lines' and a blue-green light attracts flying insects at night. The adult lives for two to three days.

(Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 48;)

Nāna i whakamau he pūrātoke e rua ki tana pakihiwi hei ārahi i a rātou i roto i te pōuri (TTR 1998:48). / He placed a couple of glowworms on his shoulder to guide them in the dark.

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See also titiwai


3. (noun) bright spark, clever person.

titiwai

1. (noun) glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, adult fly of the glowworm - adult fly lives for two to three days.

Nā te titiwai ka puta ko te pūrātoke (PK 2008:944). / The glowworm larvae comes from the adult fly of the glowworm.

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