rākau
1. (noun) tree, stick, timber, wood, spar, mast, plant - not normally used before the names of trees or plants.
Kua hōhonu ki te whenua ngā pakiaka o te rākau e kore e taea te huhuti (TWM 17/7/1869:1). / The roots of the tree are deep into the ground and cannot be pulled out.
Kua hokona he karaka, rākau nei, mō taku kāinga (HJ 2012:98). / A karaka, the tree, has been bought for my home.
Synonyms: rewa, tira, maihi, maihe, māhi, tipu, rumaki, tiri, tiritiri, kōkō, whakatō, whakatōtō, whakatopatopa, marotiritiri, tanu, pou, tou
2. (noun) weapon, arms, bat.
He manuao ririki rawa iho ēnei, he torutoru ōna pū, he tere, ko tana tino rākau patu he tōpiro (TP 11/1899:3). / These are much smaller warships, with few guns, are faster and their main weapons are torpedoes.
Synonyms: hauhau
3. (noun) challenge stick - the stick or baton that the kaiwero lays down at the pōhiri to a distinguished visitor.
Ka takoto tana rākau, ka hoki whakamuri, ka tīmata ki te ngangahu, me te whiu tika i tana taiaha, me te hūpekepeke a ōna waewae (HP 1991:84). / His challenge stick lay there and he moved backwards and began to make high pitched yelps, to wield his taiaha and to jump up and down with bent legs.
rākau pokepoke
1. (noun) rolling pin.
Synonyms: takapapa
tī rākau
1. (noun) stick game - played by six or more people with wooden rods which are thrown by the players to each other in time to a song. Players sit or kneel in a circle a little distance apart from each other. Four sticks are used. Four of the players each have a stick, held vertically in the right hand. In time to the accompanying song they swing the sticks up and down, and, at a certain word in the song, the sticks are thrown to others across or around the circle. At other times, instead of swinging or throwing them, they are lowered until the lower end rests upon the floor, the song giving the cue for all these different actions.
Ka whakakitea ngā mahi a Rau-kata-uri i reira, te waiata, te pūtōrino, te kōauau, te tōkere, te tī ringaringa, te tī rākau, te pākuru, te papaki, te porotiti: mutu katoa ēnei mea kāore hoki a Kae i kata (NM 1928:30). / The activities of Rau-kata-uri were displayed there, singing, the long flute, the short flute, the castanets, hand games, stick games, playing the mouth resonator, hand clapping and the humming disc: when all these things ended Kae still hadn't laughed.
See also tītouretua, tītītouretua, touretua
waewae rākau
1. (noun) stilts.
Ka kainga te pōporo whakamarumaru o Uenuku e ngā tama a Hou. Ka kitea e Uenuku ki te werohanga a ngā waewae rākau o Tamatekapua rāua ko tōna taina (TP 1/1913:4). / The sons of Hou ate the breadfruit of Uenuku's sheltering tree. Uenuku discovered the imprints of the stilts of Tamatekapua and his younger brother.
2. (modifier) armed, wielding weapons.
He toa mau rākau hoki, he tangata hikareia (TTR 1990:251). / And he had military prowess and a forceful personality.
3. (noun) Māori weaponry.
E ākona ana te mau rākau i te kura, he mahi whai oranga mā ngā ākonga (RMR 2017). / Māori weaponry is taught in school as an activity for the welfare of the pupils.
Synonyms: ngā rākau a Tū
whakangungu rākau
1. (noun) shield, protection, closely woven mat worn to defend from weapons, buckler.
E te whare o Arona, whakawhirinaki ki a Ihowa: ko ia tō rātou āwhina, tō rātou whakangungu rākau (PT Nga Waiata 115:10). / O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
See also whakangungu
Synonyms: kahupeka, whakaruruhau, whakapuru tao, maru, ārai, pākai, hīra, pukupuku, ārei, amarara, hamarara, parahau, whakahau, kaikaro, pare, puapua, tiakanga, whakamaru, whakangungu, taumaru, whakahaumaru, pātūtū, taumarumaru, tiaki, tiakitanga, papare, waonga
rākau whakapakoko
1. (noun) wooden spar, stout pole.
E pakū ana te rongo o Hokianga mō ngā kauri o tōna wao, ā, he nui noa atu kua kauterekia atu ki Ingarangi, ki ngā whenua o tāwāhi ake nei. Ko ngā rākau whakapakoko tino pai i tukua atu ki Ingarangi (MM.TKM 1/2/1855:5). / Hokianga is famous for the kauri trees of its forest, and many have been shipped to England and other countries abroad. The finest wooden spars were sent to England.
tī rākau
1. (noun) cabbage tree, Cordyline australis - a palm-like tree with strong, long, narrow leaves; the young inner leaves are eaten both raw and cooked. This variety is found throughout the country in a variety of habitats. The young tree has long narrow leaves which arise from a single trunk. As it matures the trunk becomes bare and branches out.
pene rākau
1. (loan) (noun) pencil.
Kei tētahi wāhanga o te whenua nei te wāhi o te Īnia-rapa, arā he mea horoi tuhituhi pene rākau, mangumangu rānei (TP 8/1903:3). / In one area of this land is the place of India rubber, that is, the stuff used to clean off pencil writing or ink.
Synonyms: pene
2. (noun) claves (musical instrument).
3. (noun) wooden blocks (toy).
tunga rākau
1. (noun) huhu grub, Prionoplus reticularis.
Synonyms: tunga, tunga rere, pepe te muimui, tunga haere
Rākau taumatua
1. A tree where birds gather: said of an occasion, place or sometimes person to which the people flock.
Nau mai ki te kura reo ko ia te rākau taumatua mō koutou kei ngā manu kōrero o te motu / Welcome to the kura reo which serves as tree of gathering for you the talking birds of the land.
mata rākau
1. (noun) karakia recited over weapons before fighting.
Ko te whare maire he whare mākutu e whakaakona ana ngā tāngata ki reira ki te patu i te tangata, i te kai, i te rākau, i te whenua, me te waewae o te tangata, me te mata rākau o te parekura (WW 1913:10). / The whare maire is a house of witchcraft where men are taught the rituals for destroying people, food, trees, land, spells for retarding a person's footsteps, and spells said over weapons of war.
