whatu
1. (noun) eye, pupil of the eye, anchor, kernel (of fruit).
Ina rā, te pūhutihuti me te mā o ngā makawe, te kikorangi o ngā whatu, te tāroaroa o te hanga, te paipa i te waha, he pāhau te kanohi, me tana kāmeta mau haere tonu e pūhia ana e te hau kaha o Pōneke (TTR 1996:188). / Tall, bearded, with a shock of white hair and blue eyes, pipe in mouth, ever-present scarf flicking about in Wellington's stiffer breezes, he was instantly recognisable (DNZB 1996:493).
Synonyms: kau o te kanohi
2. (noun) hailstone, hail.
Nō te 10 o ngā rā o te marama nei i te rua o ngā hāora o te awatea, ka ua tētahi ua, 10 meneti i ua ai. Kātahi ka rere he whatu (he nganga ki ētahi reo) (TKO 1/11/1917:9). / On the 10th of this month at 2 pm, it rained for 10 minutes. Then some hail fell.
3. (noun) initiation stone - a stone swallowed by the pupil (tauira) during his initiation as a tohunga.
Ko te whatu he kōhatu, ko te kōhatu, arā ko te hira o te hua rākau, o te karaka, etc. Ko te whatu e whāngaitia ana ki te tauira ako i te mahi tohunga; ka waiho hei ingoa mō te tauira (M 2006:198). / The 'whatu' is a stone and 'kōhatu' is the used for the abundance of fruit, of the karaka tree, etc. A stone (whatu) was fed to the scholar in priestly activities; and as a result it was used as a name for the scholar.
4. (noun) stone.
Ko te whatu i te pou tuarongo te wāhi tapu, ko te Kura a Tangaroa, he kōwhatu āhua pūwhero nei, he kōwhatu nō te kei o 'Kurahaupō' (JPS 1925:307). / The stone deposited at the rear post of the house marked the tapu spot and it was the Kura a Tangaroa. It was a reddish stone, being a stone belonging to the stern of 'Kurahaupō'.
5. (noun) rāhui stone - a stone invested by the tohunga with powers for rendering a rāhui effective. Karakia are recited and the whatu is hidden away from the pou rāhui.
