takakau
1. (modifier) unmarried, free, single, unattached.
2. (noun) spinster, bachelor.
Ko ngā tāngata mārena e roa atu ana tō rātou oranga i ngā takakau (KO 15/8/1885:8). / Married people live longer than spinsters and bachelors.
3. (noun) unleavened bread (i.e. made without yeast), scone, flapjack, pancake.
Ka kai rātou i ngā toenga o tērā pō; he mīti, he pūwhā; he takakau hei kīnaki (TWK 6:2). / They ate the leftovers of the previous night; meat, sowthistle and unleavened bread to complement these.
Synonyms: panikeke
matua takakau
1. (noun) single parent.
Riro ana ia hai tamaiti whāngai mā tana matua kēkē, matua takakau, he kōingo nōna ki tētahi tamaiti hai whāngai māna ki ana kōrero tuku iho (TTR 1998:185). / He was taken as a foster child by his uncle, a single parent, because he wanted a child to pass on his traditional knowledge.
