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Historical loan words

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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

koe

1. (verb) to squeak, scream, squawk, cry (of birds and animals).

See also koekoe

Synonyms: koekoe

koekoe

1. (verb) (-a) to squeak, scream, squawk, cry (of birds and animals).

E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū (NP 2001:30). / The tūī chatters, the kākā cackles and the kererū coos. (A whakataukī suggesting that it takes all kinds of people ...)

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Synonyms: koe

kata

1. (verb) (-ina) to laugh at.

E kore e roa rawa ka kataina e ā tātou tamariki, e ā tātou mokopuna rānei, tō tātou whakapono ki ngā mea horihori noa, ki ngā mahi o te kūwaretanga (TKO 11/1920:5). / It will not be very long before we will be laughed at by our children, or grandchildren, for our belief in these false things, and are done out of ignorance.

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Synonyms: katakata


2. (verb) to laugh.

He aha tāu e kata? (NM 1928:170). / Why do you laugh?

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Synonyms: mimingo kata, mingo kata, mingomingo kata, ngingio


3. (verb) to chirp, twitter, chirrup (of birds and insects) - any sound made by a bird or insect that sounds like laughter.

Ka kata a Tīwaiwaka, ka kūtia a Māui, mate tonu atu (M 2006:206). / Fantail chirped, Māui was squeezed and was killed.

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4. (noun) laughter.

Ko ngā tāngata katoa i reira, he tokomaha tonu rātau, ka ūmere me te kata (HP 1991:20). / Everybody there, and there were quite a few, made raucous applause with laughter.

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Synonyms: katakata, hohehohe, pukukata

tio

1. (verb) to cry, call (of a bird).

Ko tēnei manu, ko te kōmakohuariki, ki te haere ngā waka ki te hī hāpuku, ka tio taua manu, arā ka tangi, e kore rawa e mau tētehi hāpuku (W 1971:131). / If the canoes go off to fish for groper, this bird, the kōmakohuariki, will call and not a single groper will be caught.

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moakirua

1. (noun) A bird like moho, but extinct.

See also moho

whakamoe

1. (verb) Twinkle, blink.


2. (noun) A method of taking the kōkō bird at night.

wheko

1. (verb) to warble, sing, chirp (as a bird).

Ngā manu e wheko i raro o Rangiahua (M 2005:428). / The birds singing below Rangiahua.

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ngongo

1. (adjective) sad, silent, reserved.


2. (noun) sick person, invalid.


3. a sea bird.


4. the cutwater of a canoe.

pua

1. (noun) birding tree - a tree (or group of trees) frequented by birds where snares are set when the birds are in prime condition.

Nā, me titiro anō te tangata kua nui te manu ki tōna pua, nā kua tetere te manu, kātahi anō ka haere ki te tāhere i tōna pua, he mea herehere ngā kaha ki te peka o te rākau, kapi tonu i te kaha te pua (Pēhi 1942:472). / Now, one should watch for when there are plenty of birds in his bird tree, and when the birds are fat, then he goes to set snares in his birding tree, the nooses are set in the branches of the tree and the birding tree is full of snares.

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kōkō

1. (noun) tūī, parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat.

He nui te manu hai kai - te kākā, te kōkō, te kererū (HP 1991:28). / There were plenty of birds as food - kākā, tūī and New Zealand wood pigeon.

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See also tūī

Synonyms: tūī, kōkōtaua, kōkōtea, kōkōuri, kōpūrehe, tākaha, kouwha, tute

tūī

1. (noun) tūī, parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat.

I te herehere ka kitea he tūī tāna i roto i tana rahu (TP 6/1908:5). / In prison it was seen that he had a tūī in his basket.

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See also tute

Synonyms: kōkō, kōkōtaua, kōkōtea, kōkōuri, kōpūrehe, tākaha, kouwha, tute

kōkōuri

1. (noun) male tūī, male parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat. Male has a larger white tuft and more white feathering on the collar than the female.

kōkōtea

1. (noun) female tūī, female parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat, which are generally smaller than that of the male.

pepe

1. (verb) (-a,-hia,-tia) to imitate bird calls, using a leaf to imitate bird calls.

He tohunga taku pāpā ki te pepe manu ki te rau karamū (PK 2008:626). / My father is an expert at attracting birds by imitating their call with a karamū leaf.
Ka mau ki te raurēkau, ka pepea (W 1971:277). / He took the large-leaved coprosma leaf and used it to imitate bird calls.

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2. (noun) call leaf - leaf used for imitating bird calls to attract them.

Mā Mātete e whakatangi te pepe (W 1971:277). / Mātete will play the leaf to attract the birds.

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kōkōtaua

1. (noun) male tūī, male parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat, which are generally larger than that of the female.

waha o Tāne

1. (noun) singing of the birds, bird chorus - a metaphor.

Kia whakarongo tō taringa ki te waha o Tāne, e kō i te ata (M 2005:292). / Listen to the chorus of the birds, singing in the morning.

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tākaha

1. (noun) male tūī, male parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a songbird that imitates other birds' calls and has glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat. The male has larger white tuffs and more white feathering on the collar.

kōpūrehe

1. (noun) male tūī, male parson bird, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - only used of the male bird in the early summer. Male has a larger white tuft and more white feathering on the collar than the female.

manu māori

1. (noun) native bird, endemic bird.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 1-5, 9-20, 69, 108, 152, 163, 166, 167, 172;)

waka

1. (noun) canoe, vehicle, conveyance, spirit medium, medium (of an atua).

Ko ngā tiriti o tērā tāone kapi tonu i ngā tū āhua waka o te Pākehā, mai i te hōiho kawekawe mīti a te pūtia tae noa ki ngā tū āhua katoa o te taramukā (TP 10/1909:3). / The streets of that town are full of all sorts of vehicles of the Pākehā, from the horse carrying the butcher’s meat to all sorts of tramcars.

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Synonyms: matataketake, wawaenga, kauwaka


2. long narrow receptacle, box (for feathers).

Ka tata ki te rau tau mai ki 1900, ka tahuri a Ānaha ki te whakairo taonga itiiti nei, hei hokohoko ki ngā Pākehā. He ipu, he kumete, he waka huia, he paipa hei kai tōrori, he pouaka māti, me ētehi taonga hei whakaahua i ngā mea o te ao tawhito (TTR 1990:262). / Around the turn of the century Anaha was involved in the production of smaller carvings for sale to Europeans. These were containers, bowls, carved jewellery boxes, tobacco pipes, tinder boxes and replicas of traditional artefacts.

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See also waka huia


3. (noun) water trough.

Ka whakakīia te waka ki te wai, ka haramai ngā kererū ki te inu. Ka whakairia he tāhere ki ngā taha o te waka, kia tau mai he manu ki te inu kua mau (Te Ara 2013). / The trough was filled with water, and kererū would come to drink. Snares were set on either side of the trough, and when the birds landed to drink they were caught.

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4. (noun) allied kinship groups descended from the crew of a canoe which migrated to New Zealand and occupying a set territory.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 48; Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 27-31; Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 210-219;)

Ko te waiata katoa nei, e whakaatu ana i te reo tohunga o ngā iwi o Tainui waka (M 2006:186). / The whole of this song reflects the priestly language of the tribes of the Tainui canoe area.

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5. (noun) crew of a canoe.

I te ata e rotua ana e Rua te waka rā kia moe tonu (NM 1928:65). / In the morning Rua put a spell on the crew of that canoe so that they continued sleeping.

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6. (noun) flock, flight (of birds).

He waka kuaka (W 1971:478). / A flock of bar-tailed godwits

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