kato
1. (verb) (-hia) to pluck, break off, pick - especially of leafy crops.
Ko te awa o Ōpihi me ngā manga o te wā kāinga ōna wāhi kato wāta kerehi, i tana kāri rānei kato pūhā ai i ngā marama o te hōtoke (TTR 1996:71). / The Ōpihi River and local creeks were her places to gather watercress, or in the winter months it was her garden to pick pūhā.
Synonyms: kōwhiti, pika, whawhati, katokato, kōwhiri, whiriwhiri, kōhiti, kiriūka, para, muru, hohore, kōwhaki, hautoa, ngana, koromaki
2. (modifier) plucking, breaking off, picking.
Kua pakaru hoki te hiamoe ki a ia i te nui o wana mahi kato pūhā (TWK 57:10). / She was overcome by sleep because of the amount of pūhā picking she had done.
3. (noun) plucking, breaking off, picking.
Ko tētahi umanga a te iwi ko te kato me te hoko i ngā rongoā Māori (Te Ara 2015). / One tribal enterprise is the picking and sale of Māori herbal remedies.
