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Idioms

Phrases

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Loan words

Historical loan words

kea

1. (noun) kea, mountain parrot, Nestor notabilis - intelligent, large, bold endemic parrot, olive-green with scarlet underwings that lives mainly in the alpine regions of the South Island.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 13; Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 24;)

Pērā hoki me Māui-pōtiki i tango rā i te āhua o te kāhu, o te kāeaea, o te ruru, o te kea, o te pekapeka, o te kiore, o te kererū, o te noke hoki; kātahi anō ka mate i a Hine-nui-te-pō i roto i tōna whare i Pōtaka-rongorongo. (JPS 1922:48). / It was thus that Māui-pōtiki took on the form of the harrier hawk, the New Zealand falcon, the morepork, the kea, the bat, the rat, the pigeon, and the worm; until he was finally killed by Hine-nui-te-pō in her house at Pōtaka-rongorongo.

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Synonyms: keorangi

kea

1. (noun) mucus discharge from the ear or nose, semen.

Ko ngā āhua o taku mate, he ngongoro, he heke te kea, he mate ngā konohi, kua āhua kāpō haere (HP 1991:18). / The symptoms of my illness were snoring, discharge from the ears, and problems with the deteriorating eyesight.

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Synonyms: waitātea, tātea, paraheka, paratau

kēā

1. (modifier) false, incorrect, erroneous.

He kōrero kēā - he mea kimikimi noa iho (PK 2008:249). / An erroneous statement - just a figment of the imagination.

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2. (noun) lie, falsehood, untruth.

Kāti tō kōrero parau, e hoa! He kēā katoa ēnā kōrero āu ki tō kaiako. / Stop telling porkies, my friend! What you told your teacher are all lies.

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Synonyms: papahu, tahupera, rūkahu, whakateka, teka, tito, tipatipa, tīpapa, kōrero teka, kōrero parau, horihori, hori, pūkei, rūpahu, takoto, hāwatewate, pūkai, paraparau, patu taringa

keorangi

1. (noun) kea, mountain parrot, Nestor notabilis - intelligent, large, bold endemic parrot, olive-green with scarlet underwings that lives mainly in the alpine regions of the South Island.

See also kea

Synonyms: kea

kākā

1. (noun) kākā, Nestor meridionalis - large native forest parrot with olive-brown and dull green upperparts and crimson underparts.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 13;)

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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Synonyms: kōrī, kōriwhai, tātāapopo, perehere


2. (noun) parrot - a general term for all species of parrots (i.e. kākāpōkākārikikea and kākā).

Kāore e kitea he kākā nui ake i te kākāpō o Aotearoa. He kaha tonu ōna ngutu, ā, he pewa te āhua, pērā tonu i te katoa o ngā momo kākā (HM 4/1998:4). / There is no larger parrot than the kākāpō of New Zealand. Its beak is quite strong and it is curved, just like all parrot species.

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Synonyms: kākāriki

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