whakapē
1. (verb) (-hia,-tia) to soften, mash, crush, digest.
I te mea e pēnei ana te āhua o te mate o te tūroro, e kore e taea e te puku o te tangata te whakapē te kai Māori i te mea e kuha ana taua mate nei, heoti anō ngā kai Māori e taea te whakapē, he taro, he parāoa kānga rānei (TWM 19/3/1868:3). / Because the nature of the patient's illness is like this, the person's stomach is not able to digest Māori food because that illness is too virulent. The only Māori foods able to be digested are taro or cornflour.
Synonyms: kōharihari, kōparu, mōhungahunga, kotē, kōhari, kōparuparu, penupenu, pehu, paruparu
