2. (noun) chief.
Mate atu he tētē, ara mai he tētē (TTR 1990:120). / When a fern frond dies another emerges. (A figurative use - as one chief dies another rises to take his place.)
3. (noun) figurehead of a canoe without arms and legs.
E whā ngā waka nei, he waka toiera, he waka pītau, he waka pakoko, he waka tētē (TP 4/1911:10). / These four canoes were: a war canoe with a carved stern and stem, a canoe with a figurehead, a canoe with an armless figurehead, and a canoe with a figurehead without arms and legs.
4. (noun) Prince of Wales Feathers, crape fern, Leptopteris superba - native tufted ground fern, often with a short woody trunk. Fronds tapered equally at both ends, very finely divided. Fluffy to touch. Grows best in cool, wet forest. Frond tapers at both ends.
See also heruheru
Synonyms: maikukuroa, ngutu kākāriki, pūniu, tētē kura, tētēkura, ngutungutu kiwi, pūnui, heruheru
tetē
1. (verb) (-a) to grind (the teeth), gnash, clench (the teeth).
He hanga whakamataku ki te titiro atu ki ngā kanohi e whākana ana, ki ngā makawe e rere ana i te hau, ki te hūare e heke ana i ngā kauae, ki ngā niho e tetē haere ana, me ngā tinana e hurori noa ana i runga hōiho (TWM 14/5/1868:2). / It was somewhat frightening to look at the eyes staring wildly, the hair flying in the wind, the saliva dripping from the jaws, the teeth gnashing, and the body just rolling about on the back of the horse.
2. (modifier) grinding, clenching (of teeth).
Kua niho tetē i te kaha taumaha o tana pīkaunga (HJ 2012:272). / He's clenching his teeth because his load is so heavy
tētē kura
1. (noun) chief.
Ka tau tā rātou kōrero kia riro ko ia hei tētē kura whakakī i te whārua i mahue ake i tōna tuakana (TTR 1998:23). / They decided that he should become the chief to fill the vacancy left by his elder brother.
See also tētēkura
2. (noun) Prince of Wales Feathers, crape fern, Leptopteris superba - native tufted ground fern, often with a short woody trunk. Fronds tapered equally at both ends, very finely divided. Fluffy to touch. Grows best in cool, wet forest. Frond tapers at both ends.
See also tētē
Synonyms: heruheru, ngutu kākāriki, pūniu, tētēkura, maikukuroa, pūnui, tētē, ngutungutu kiwi
tētē moroiti
1. (noun) grey teal, Anas gracilis - a light grey-brown duck with pale grey cheeks, chin and foreneck, a blue-grey bill and red eyes, found in lowland lakes, lagoons and estuaries.
(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 154;)
See also tētē
waka tētē
1. (noun) fishing canoe with a carved figurehead and vertical stern piece.
Kāore he whakanikoniko o ngā whakairo kei ngā waka tētē. He heriheri tāngata, utanga te mahi a ēnei waka; ka rere mā ngā awa me te takutai (Te Ara 2013). / Waka tētē had simpler carving without adornment. The purpose of these canoes was to carry people and goods along rivers and the coast.
tētē wai
1. (noun) grey teal, Anas gracilis - a light grey-brown duck with pale grey cheeks, chin and foreneck, a blue-grey bill and red eyes, found in lowland lakes, lagoons and estuaries.
See also tētē
tētē whero
1. (noun) brown teal, Anas aucklandica - a rare endemic bird, the breeding male has a glossy green head and a narrow white collar, while the female is brown.
Tētē whero: Ko te ‘tētē’ te tangi a tēnei pārera. He whero, he kehu ōna huruhuru (Te Ara 2013). / Brown teal: ‘Tētē’ is the Māori rendition of the ducks’ quacking. Whero (red) refers to their reddish-brown plumage.
