pia
1. (noun) apprentice, novice, trainee, postgraduate student - traditionally the first order of learners being initiated in esoteric lore.
He pia i te tīmatanga, kia mātau haere kua tāura (PK 2008:630). / He's a novice at the start but when he becomes more learned he's a tāura.
Synonyms: ika tauhou, tangata ihu hūpē, tauhou, ihu hūpē
2. (noun) blind eel, common hagfish, Eptatretus cirrhatus - a primitive eel-like fish that lives only in marine habitats. Though blind, hagfish are predators of other fish, which they detect by movement and smell. Body cylindrical with a paddle-like tail. Six barbels around the mouth. Pink-grey variably spotted with black and white. Found throughout shelf and slope waters of Aotearoa/New Zealand to depths of 922 m.
See also tuere
3. (noun) lamprey, Geotria australis - an eel-like fish that has a sucker mouth with horny teeth and a rasping tongue. A highly valued food of Māori. Found around North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands coasts, penetrating inland to 230 km.
See also piharau
Synonyms: kanakana, nganangana, pihapiharau, pipiharau, kanakana wairaki, wairaki, waituere, puhikorokoro, piharau, tuna korokoro, korokoro
