hōhonu
1. (verb) to be deep, esoteric.
Ehara pea ko te pāpaku o te reo o te hunga nei te raru nui, engari ko te kore kē e hōhonu o te ruruku ki te kimi rongoā hei whakaora i ōna ngoikoretanga (HM 4/2008:5). / It's probably not the superficiality of the language of this group that's the big problem, but the lack of depth in the commitment to search for a remedy to overcome its shortcomings.
2. (adjective) be deep.
He hōhonu tonu te puna i toremi ai te tamaiti. / The pool where the child was drowned was quite deep.
3. (modifier) deep, profound.
Kei 'Taumata Kōrero' ngā tūmomo kōrero katoa; ngā kōrero hōhonu, ngā kōrero māmā, ngā pakiwaitara, ngā kōrero aroha, ngā kōrero whakapōuri ngākau, me ngā kōrero ngahau (RK 1994:7). / In the section Taumata Kōrero there are all types of narratives: profound narratives, light-hearted stories, legends, love stories, sad tales and entertaining accounts.
4. (noun) depth.
Heoti, mēnā ki te whakaaro o te rangatahi i ētehi wā he wahine pākaha a Te Puea, i mōhio anō hoki rātou ki te hōhonu o tōna pūaroha ki a rātou katoa (TTR 1996:52). / However, if the young people in these times thought that Te Puea was a strict woman, they also knew the depth of her concern for them all.
