2. (verb) (-a) to break (of waves).
He ākau kei waho, ka whati mai te ngaru ka pakaru ki te ākau, nā ka marino noa iho a roto (TP 5/9/1909:10). / There is a reef on the open sea and the waves break on the reef and inside it is quite calm.
3. (verb) (-a) to break (rigid things such as sticks), break off.
I eke ia ki runga i te iata o tōna hoa, ka haere ki te whakarērere i te moana; ko te putanga o te pūrekereke hau, whati tonu atu te maihe o te kaipuke, ka hinga ki te moana (TP 1/6/1901:7). / He embarked on his friend's yacht and went to sail about on the ocean; a gust of wind blew and the mast of the ship snapped and fell into the sea.
4. (verb) (-a,-ia) to pick, pluck (of fruit, etc.).
Nō te taenga mai ki uta, ka whatiia mai tētahi mōna. Kāore i roa kua memenge i te rā (TTT 31/8/1921:12). / When he reached the shore he picked one for himself, but it wasn't long before it withered in the sun.
5. (verb) (-a) to falter, make an unintentional break in a waiata or karakia - once considered a bad omen.
Mehemea e tū ana te tohunga, e karakia ana, e mākutu ana rānei i tētehi tangata, he pai tōna karakia, he mārama ki tōna whakarongo iho, ā, kua ngaro pea tētehi kupu, ka kīia tērā, “Kua whati.” Ka mōhio tonu te tohunga ko ia tonu ka riro (JPS 1894:207). / When the tohunga stands forth, and is uttering his karakia, or is bewitching someone, maybe his karakia is well said, and clear to his own hearing; but, if one word is perchance missing, that is said to be broken, whati. The tohunga knows at once he will be taken.
6. (verb) to move from side to side.
Whati ana a hope, putē ana a karu, kopikopi ana a puku (HM 1/1994). / The hips move from side to side, the wide-open eyes stare and the belly is thrust forward.
7. (noun) fracture, break, snap, breaking.
Tata pea ina ki te kotahi wiki i muri mai, ka tirohia te whati o te poroiwi o taku waewae katau (HP 1991:322). / It was probably nearly a week afterwards that the fracture in the bone of my right leg was inspected.
8. (noun) fleeing people.
Ka nohoia te pā e te taua, tukua atu ana te whati kia haere, kīhai i arumia (TK 15/7/1845:25). / The pā was occupied by the war party, the fleeing people were allowed to go and were not pursued.
9. (noun) escape, flight, getaway.
Whati ana te Rūhia i taua parepare i te Rītana nui i rere tīrararara te haere o tō rātou whati (MM.TKM 30/6/1856:7). / The Russians evacuated that fortification from the Great Redan, their flight scattered in every direction.
2. (noun) breakers.
He aituā tino nui te hinganga o Tūhawaiki i te wā e tū ana mai te ope matua o ngā Pākehā me he ngaru whati mai (TTR 1990:370). / The death of Tūhawaiki at a time when the main influx of Pākehā settlement was occurring was a major tragedy.
karakia whati
1. (noun) war preparation ritual - a karakia to prepare a warrior for battle.
See also karakia
karaka whati
1. (noun) ritual before war - an ancient ritual performed over warriors before they went off to war. The warriors were sprinkled with water, and touched with a karaka leaf.
Tohua ana a Hēnare ki te tikanga pure o te karaka whati, he tikanga whakatakataka i te toa mō te pakanga (TTR 2000:70). / Hēnare underwent the ritual of karaka whati, a practice preparing a warrior for battle.
kere
1. (modifier) quite - an intensifier used with word involving breaking, e.g. poro kere, whati kere, motu kere.
I mangungu kere tō wheua (W 1971:114). / Your bone is quite crushed.
Ka ahu rātou ko te tira i a Hone Hiana mā ki te hui ki Tamihere, heoi, e whakatata ana ki Whatawhata, ka poro kere te tīni o te urunga o te tima, ā, ka rewarewa noa iho te kaipuke (TW 15/6/1878:305). / They and the travelling party with John Sheehan and company headed for the meeting at Tamihere. However, when they were approaching Whatawhata the chain of the steamer's rudder broke and the ship floated free.
Synonyms: koia, rawa, āhua, anō, tino, noa, tonu, āta, hangehange, hengahenga, kāhua, (ko) tōna ... (nei), tou, noa iho
2. (modifier) intensely, exceedingly, extremely, very - an intensive used with words related to darkness.
Ko ētahi iwi o reira he pokere-kahu, arā, he mangu kere te kiri, he iwi haunga ki te noho tata mai. Ā, ko ētahi iwi anō o aua motu rā, he kiritea, ā, he iwi āta noho, he mahora te uru, he iwi ahuwhenua (JPS 1896:4x). / Some of the people of that place were black, that is, with very black skins, a people who had an unpleasant odour when sitting close by. And there were some other people also of those islands with fair skins, who were a peaceful people, an agricultural people.
