kuru
1. (verb) (-a,-ngia,-tia) to strike with the fist, thump, pelt, beat, pound, throw.
He tāne rou kākahi ka moea, he tāne moe i roto i te whare kurua te takataka (TTT 1/10/1922:12). / The husband dexterous at dredging freshwater mussels will be slept with, but the husband who sleeps idly in the house will have his head thumped. (A whakataukī stressing the value of hard work and a wife's appreciation of a good provider.)
Synonyms: kurukuru, karaepa, epa, whākuru, opa, tuki, pao, āki, kōmekemeke, pātuki, pāuna, hamahama, pehu, patupatu, tātā, poutuki
2. (noun) mallet, pestle, fragment, hammer stone.
Ko ngā kōhatu ka tohungia ka paoa ki te kuru kia maramara. Kātahi kua whakamahia anō ngā kuru hei whakamaheni i ngā taratara (Te Ara 2014). / Selected rocks were struck with hammer stones to produce flakes. Then the hammer stones were also used to smooth rough surfaces.
3. (noun) an ornament of greenstone.
He kōtore huia kei te māhunga, he kuru kahurangi kei te taringa (KO 15/2/1883:3). / Huia tail feathers on the head and a precious greenstone ornament at the ear.
4. (noun) breadfruit tree, breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis - a large, evergreen, tropical tree with large, round, starchy fruit originating in the South Pacific and was spread to the rest of Oceania. It has been an important staple crop in the Pacific for more than 3,000 years, but does not grow in the colder climate of Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Ko te kuru whakamarumaru o te whare o Uenuku (JPS 1910:95). / The sheltering breadfruit tree of Uenuku's house.
See also poroporo
