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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Tīhema

1. (loan) (personal noun) December.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 47;)

Ka tū te purei hōiho i Te Pakipaki i te 24 o Tīhema 1878 (TW 19/10/1878:524). / Horse races will take place at Pakipaki on 24th December, 1878.
I Tīhema o te tau 1928, i ohotata tonu te whakatūnga i a Ngata hai minita Māori i te rironga ohoreretanga o te tāhuna o te pōti whānui, i te Rōpū Unaititi (TTR 1996:107). / In December 1928 Ngata was suddenly appointed native minister when the United Party unexpectedly won the general election.

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Maramamārua

1. (personal noun) December.

Ka hoki au ki te kāinga, ki Aotearoa i te Maramamārua, tau 1944 (HP 1991:215). / I returned home to Aotearoa/New Zealand in December 1944.

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Hakihea

1. (personal noun) seventh lunar month of the Māori year - approximately equivalent to December. Also the name of the three stars of Alpha Centauri, which appear as one light and the third brightest 'star' in the night sky. The appearance heralds the start of this lunar month.

Hakihea: Kua noho ngā manu kai roto i te kōhanga (Best 1922:15). / Hakihea: Birds are now sitting on their nests (Best 1922:15).

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Synonyms: whitu, Akaaka-nui, Ahuahu-mataora, Whitu o Hakihea, Te

huainanga

1. (noun) fat hen, Chenopodium album - a very common weed, especially in arable districts. Growing mainly in spring and summer, this erect weed can grow up to 2m tall. It is known as a very competitive weed due to its ability to remove moisture from the soil even in dry conditions. The grey-green leaves are up to 7cm long, sword shaped and have margins that appear toothed. Main stems and laterals often have green, yellowish or sometimes reddish ribs and can become quite hardy. Normally forms very small green flowers between December and May that develop into a tight cluster of seeds up to 30cm long. Seeds remain viable in the soil for long periods of time.

Te tupunga ake o te māra nei he runa anake, he wekahu, he huainanga, he horera ngā kai (TP 2/1909:4). / What grows in this garden are dock, fat hen, and sorrel.

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Akaaka-nui

1. (personal noun) seventh lunar month of the Māori year, approximately equivalent to December and traditionally used by Ngāti Kahungunu.

Ka ū ana te waka ki Rangitoto; ka roa e noho ana i konā, ka tae ki a Akaaka-nui te kaupeka o te tau, i te Ōmutu o te marama (JPS 1914:63). / The canoe landed at D'Urville Island, where they stayed for some time until the last day of the month of Akaaka-nui (December).

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See also Hakihea

Synonyms: whitu, Hakihea, Ahuahu-mataora, Whitu o Hakihea, Te

tūrutu

1. (verb) to screen, shelter.

Ka haramai tēnei ka tūrutu, ka paetau noa au kai te whare (M 2005:354). / This one comes and shelters, and I just sit apart in the house.

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Synonyms: tītopa, pāhoka, pāhokahoka, pātakitaki, pātūtū, whakaruru, , tauārai, mata, , ārai, rīanga, takitaki, pākai, pākai riri, araarai, pātū, pekerangi, ārei, ruruhau, taumaru, pāruru, taumarumaru, whakamauru, whakamarumaru, whakaruruhau, maru, piringa, tāwharau, tīhokahoka, whakahau, whakamaru, whakamaurutanga


2. (noun) tūrutu, New Zealand blueberry, Dianella nigra - loose tussock forming evergreen perennial herb, forming dense to open, diffuse clumps; rhizomes horizontally 150 mm (or more) long, strong and well developed. Leaves 250-800 x 12-18 mm, uniformly green to dark green, upright to strongly curved and distinctly drooping, more or less flat. Green or white flowers November - December and berries from grey-white and dull to strongly violet-blue and glossy.

Synonyms: rēua, piopio


3. (noun) New Zealand iris, native iris, Libertia ixioides - a native plant seen beside tracks and streams. Leaves turn yellow to orange in full sun and are smooth, stiff and long, growing in fans forming a tuft. Flowers are white and three-petalled while the fruit is yellow pear-shaped capsules.

pāpapa-kōura

1. (noun) willowherb, Epilobium microphyllum - an endemic tufted, creeping herb with woody bases, and numerous ascending, wiry, purple-black or black stems. White petals and flowers from December - February. Found from about Kāwhia and East Cape south, locally abundant around the Cook Strait region, thence mainly easterly in the South Island in gravelly or shingly riverbeds, flats and outwash plains from sea level to 1,200 m.

papa-kōura

1. (noun) willowherb, Epilobium microphyllum - an endemic tufted, creeping herb with woody bases, and numerous ascending, wiry, purple-black or black stems. White petals and flowers from December - February. Found from about Kāwhia and East Cape south, locally abundant around the Cook Strait region, thence mainly easterly in the South Island in gravelly or shingly riverbeds, flats and outwash plains from sea level to 1,200 m.

See also pāpapa-kōura

pere

1. (noun) adze-shaped wooden hoe - used in gardens for clearing weeds.


2. (noun) karapapa, Alseuosmia macrophylla - a shrub found in forest undergrowth from North Cape to the upper South Island that grows to about 2 m, with red-brown branches and dark green foliage. It has alternating glossy leaves with widely spaced teeth. The tubular flowers are 2.4-4 cm long and highly scented. They vary in colour from dark red to cream. Fruit is crimson.

See also karapapa


3. (noun) Alseuosmia banksii var. linariifolia - endemic bushy slender shrub up to 1 m tall of Northland forests from Kaitaia to about Kaiwaka. Often associated with kauri. Leaves vary, much longer than wide, green, margin smooth. Small creamy yellow flowers, tubular, dropping in September - December. Fruit fleshy, red.

perehia

1. (noun) New Zealand wind grass, Lachnagrostis filiformis - common throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand in coastal to subalpine open situations and often found as an urban weed, especially in waste land around puddles and in muddy ground. Common around lakes, and fringing ponds, streams and on wetland margins. Slender, upright, tufted, light to yellow green, annual or short-lived perennial grass up to 700 mm tall.

See also repehia

Synonyms: repehia, toherāoa, turikōkā, repehina


2. (noun) sand wind grass, Lachnagrostis billardierei subsp. billardierei - a native mainly coastal grass on sand dunes, cobble and boulder beaches, on cliff faces, in free draining sites alongestuarine river banks, and fringing coastal ponds and lagoons. Sometimes on limestone or calcareous sandstone bluffs well inland. Stiffly tufted, glaucous to bluish-green perennial grass, 100-600 mm tall. Flowers August - February and fruits December - June.

perei

1. (noun) black orchid, Gastrodia cunninghamii - an endemic plant of North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Uncommon north of the Waikato. Usually montane and mostly in beech dominated forests or montane pine forest plantations. Sometimes found at lower altitudes in dark hollows within forest, especially in naturally cold sites. Brown or white flowers October-March, fruiting in December-May.


2. (noun) horned orchid, Orthoceras novae-zeelandiae - endemic orchid with a tuberous edible root found in the North and South Islands in coastal to lower montane areas. In the South Island mainly westerly and recorded as far south as Hokitika. Usually in very sunny sites on open, free draining soils or clay banks with little associated taller vegetation. Often found in urban areas on mostly bare roadside cuttings. Flowers green, red or pink in July-March, fruiting in November-May.

He rahi ngā kai ka kohia i te ngahere, ngā hua o te hīnau, te tawa me te miro; te pūhā, te uho o te nīkau; te aka perei me te tāwhara (Te Ara 2011). / Numerous foods were gathered from the forest, including fruits and berries from hīnau, tawa and miro; sowthistle; the hearts of nīkau palms; the roots of perei (potato orchids), and the bracts of kiekie.

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See also hūperei

Synonyms: māika, māmāika

piopio

1. (noun) North Island piopio, Turnagra tanagra, South Island piopio, Turnagra capensis - an endemic plump olive-brown forest bird of distinctive subspecies which are probably extinct.

Nāu, nā te Pākehā te kurī me te ngeru nāna i huna ngā kai o te motu nei, te weka, te kiwi, te kākāpō, te piopio, me te tini o ngā manu o te motu nei (TWMNT 23/4/1873:45). / It was you, the Pākehā that introduced the dog and the cat which destroyed the food of this country, the weka, kiwi, kākāpō, the piopio and the many endemic birds.

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Synonyms: koropio, korohea, tiutiu, tiutiukata


2. (noun) banded dotterel, Charadrius bicinctus - a squat bird with a large head and robust bill distinguished from the New Zealand dotterel (tūturiwhatu) by two bands on the lower neck and breast. Endemic, found on beaches, river mouths and estuaries.

See also pohowera

Synonyms: pohowera, tūturiwhatu


3. (noun) tūrutu, New Zealand blueberry, Dianella nigra - loose tussock forming evergreen perennial herb, forming dense to open, diffuse clumps; rhizomes horizontally 150 mm (or more) long, strong and well developed. Leaves 250-800 x 12-18 mm, uniformly green to dark green, upright to strongly curved and distinctly drooping, more or less flat. Green or white flowers November - December and berries from grey-white and dull to strongly violet-blue and glossy.

See also tūrutu

Synonyms: tūrutu, rēua

rēua

1. (noun) tūrutu, New Zealand blueberry, Dianella nigra - loose tussock forming evergreen perennial herb, forming dense to open, diffuse clumps; rhizomes horizontally 150 mm (or more) long, strong and well developed. Leaves 250-800 x 12-18 mm, uniformly green to dark green, upright to strongly curved and distinctly drooping, more or less flat. Green or white flowers November - December and berries from grey-white and dull to strongly violet-blue and glossy.

See also tūrutu

Synonyms: tūrutu, piopio

rautahi

1. (noun) southern cutty grass, Carex ternaria - widespread along stream, lake and pond margins and in seepages, flushes, and around shallow ephemeral pools. Usually in open, well lit situations but also may be fringing streams running through successional forest. Robust sedge forming diffuse dark green to dark glaucous green clumps up to 3 m tall. Spreads with stout rhizomes. Plants dying back to rhizomes in cold conditions.Flowers October - December.


2. (noun) squeegee.

rērēwai

1. (noun) red pondweed, Potamogeton cheesemanii - native aquatic plant found in coastal to montane areas throughout the country, but mostly found in coastal and lowland areas. A common plant of ponds, lake margins and slowly flowing streams. Also colonising roadside ditches. Cream or red-pink flowers in November-March.

See also mānihi

Synonyms: mānihi


2. (noun) mud pondweed, Potamogeton suboblongus - an endemic aquatic plant of coastal to subalpine area, being mostly found in upper montane and subalpine areas in the northern part of its range. More commonly found in shallow, muddy hollows in forest, and colonising tarns and alpine soaks and pools which may partially dry out in summer. Flowers December-March.

See also mānihi

Synonyms: mānihi

mānihi

1. (noun) red pondweed, Potamogeton cheesemanii - native aquatic plant found in coastal to montane areas throughout the country, but mostly found in coastal and lowland areas. A common plant of ponds, lake margins and slowly flowing streams. Also colonising roadside ditches. Cream or red-pink flowers in November-March.

Synonyms: rērēwai


2. (noun) mud pondweed, Potamogeton suboblongus - an endemic aquatic plant of coastal to subalpine area, being mostly found in upper montane and subalpine areas in the northern part of its range. More commonly found in shallow, muddy hollows in forest, and colonising tarns and alpine soaks and pools which may partially dry out in summer. Flowers December-March.

Synonyms: rērēwai

uhi perei

1. (noun) black orchid, Gastrodia cunninghamii - an endemic plant of North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Uncommon north of the Waikato. Usually montane and mostly in beech dominated forests or montane pine forest plantations. Sometimes found at lower altitudes in dark hollows within forest, especially in naturally cold sites. Brown or white flowers October-March, fruiting in December-May.

See also perei

whitu

1. (numeral) seven, 7.

He ana kei runga mai o Whāngāpē, e whitu māero te tawhiti atu i te wahapū o Hokianga (M 2004:16). / There is a cave south of Whāngāpē, seven miles away from the mouth of Hokianga.

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2. (numeral) seven, 7 - 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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3. (numeral) seventh - when used with this meaning it is preceded by te and followed by o.

Nō te hāwhe pāhi o te ono, kua mahi i ngā mahi whakapakari i te tinana. Ka mutu, kua haere ki te kai i te whitu o te ata (HP 1991:103). / At 6.30 am it was physical exercises. When that ended, we went to eat at 7 am.

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Synonyms: tuawhitu


4. (noun) seventh lunar month of the Māori year - approximately equivalent to December.

Whitu o Hakihea, Te

1. (personal noun) seventh lunar month of the Māori year - approximately equivalent to December.

Ko te putanga mai o Matariki te tohu mō te marama tuatahi, ko ngā ingoa hoki ēnei o ngā marama katoa: Te Tahi o Pipiri, Te Rua o Takurua,Te Toru Here o Pipiri, Te Whā o Mahuru, Te Rima o Kōpū, Te Ono o Whitiānaunau, Te Whitu o Hakihea, Te Waru o Rehua, Te Iwa o Rūhi-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru o Poutūterangi, Te Ngahuru mā tahi, Te Ngahuru mā rua (TP 1/3/1901:6). / The appearance of Pleiades is the sign for the first month and these are the names of all the months: The first is Pipiri, the second is Takurua, the third is Here o Pipiri, the fourth is Mahuru, the fifth is Kōpū, the sixth is Whiti-ānaunau, the seventh is Hakihea, the eighth is Rehua, the ninth is Rūhi-te-rangi, the tenth is Poutūterangi, the eleventh and twelfth months.

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Synonyms: whitu, Hakihea, Akaaka-nui, Ahuahu-mataora

hūperei

1. (noun) black orchid, Gastrodia cunninghamii - an endemic plant of North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Uncommon north of the Waikato. Usually montane and mostly in beech dominated forests or montane pine forest plantations. Sometimes found at lower altitudes in dark hollows within forest, especially in naturally cold sites. Brown or white flowers October-March, fruiting in December-May.

See also perei

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