whakamatara
1. (verb) (-hia,-ngia,-tia) to unravel, loosen, undo, untie, unfasten, unbind, release.
Nō te pahemotanga atu ki tawhiti, ka ngaro atu i ngā Pāniara, kātahi ka okeoke te tangata; ka kukume i ōna ringa; ka whakauaua tonu ki te whakamatara i ōna waewae me ōna ringa anō; kukume tonu, whakawiri tonu, nāwai rā ka taea - ka matara ōna ringa me ōna wawae (TWMNT 22/3/1879:353). / When he had drifted a long way away, out of sight of the Spaniards, then the man struggled to release himself pulling his hands. It was quite difficult to untie his legs and hands, but he pulled and wriggled and after a time his hands and legs were free.
Synonyms: whakakaewa, whakatangatanga, hangoro, whakakorokoro, whakangoru, tākōkō, maheno, whakamaheatanga, wete, wetewete, wewete, tākiri, tuku, tangatanga, maunu
2. (verb) to drive away, keep at a distance.
3. (noun) loosening, release, unravelling, undoing, unfastenning, unbinding.
Ko te whakamatara kōrero whīwhiwhi tētahi mahi mā ngā ākonga kia mōhio ai rātou ki te whakatakoto tika o ngā kupu. / Unravelling jumbled sentences is a task for students so that they learn the correct order of the words.
