2. (verb) (-hia,-ngia,-tia) to surround.
E awhi ana i te tēneti o Ngāti Porou ko nga tēneti ririki o Te Whānau-a-Apanui (TP 1/7/1901:8). / Surrounding Ngāti Porou's tent were the small tents of Te Whānau-a-Apanui.
3. (verb) (-hia,-ngia,-tia) to sit on (eggs), brood.
Kotahi marama te uha e awhi ana i ōna hua, kātahi ka pao mai ngā pīpī (HM 4/1998:4). / The hen sits on her eggs for one month and then the chicks hatch.
4. (verb) (-hia,-ngia,-tia) to besiege.
I te awhi rātau i Moumoukai mō ngā rā e toru, ka haere (HP 1991:28). / They besieged Moumoukai for three days and then left.
5. (noun) embracing, embrace, adoption, adopting.
I tere tonu te awhi a Te Wheoro i ngā tikanga whakahaere moni a te Pākehā me ngā whare hanga kaupapa (TTR 1990:336). / Te Wheoro quickly embraced Pākehā financial practices and institutions.
6. (noun) siege.
I tōna mōhiotanga e noho kore kai ana, ka hīkina te awhi (TTR 1990:380). / When he realised that they were starving he lifted the siege.
Synonyms: pakipaki
7. (noun) border.
Ā ko te hanganga tēnei o ngā tūranga: i whai awhi, ā i ngā takiwā o ngā karapiti ngā awhi (PT 1Kīngi 7:28). / And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges.
awhi rito
1. (noun) leaves that embrace the centre shoot of the harakeke.
Ki te whakaaro Māori, ko te harakeke he tohu nō te whānau. Ko te rito, te tamaiti. Ka karapotia te rito e ngā awhi rito (ngā mātua) hei whakamarumaru. Ko ngā rau o waho, ko ngā tūpuna (Te Ara 2014). / In Māori thought, the harakeke (flax) plant represents the family. The centre shoot is the child. It is surrounded by the awhi rito (the parents) as protection. The outside leaves represent the grandparents and ancestors.
