pakupaku
1. (verb) to be dry, parched.
Kia mea atu mātou, he nui nō te werawera o tērā whenua, ka tīkākā te whenua i te rā, ā kotia rawatia ake ngā witi, ka pakupaku (MM.TKM 27/11/1856:3). / We may say that because that country is very hot, the land is burnt by the sun and when the wheat is finally cut it is dry.
2. (verb) to be small, little, minute, tiny, diminutive.
Ka ngangautia e ia kia ngāwari, kia pakupaku, ka āta whakapiritia ki te mamae, hāware katoa atu nō te mea he pai tonu hoki te hāware mō te whakaora (HP 1991:23). / She chewed it until it was soft and small and carefully applied it to the sore part. It had saliva throughout because saliva is quite good for healing.
3. (modifier) small, little, minute, tiny, diminutive.
Kua rongo ake au, e Ihowā, ki ngā mahi hē, kino hoki a Hītera, i tāmia ai e ia ngā iwi pakupaku o te ao (HP 1991:100). / I have heard, Jehovah, of the mistaken and evil deeds of Hitler, who oppressed the small nations of the world.
Synonyms: mataririki, mōkitokito, matariki, nohinohi, paku, kauriki, whito, mākari, tātakimōri, koroiti, poniponi, pinepine, tuaiti, whengowhengo, whetau, iti, muimui, mahake, pota, nonohi, riki
4. (modifier) very, extremely - used as an intensifier for maroke.
I te ata e pai ana te āhua o te witi, i te ahiahi ka haere te kaingaki ki te moe, hari anu tōna ngākau ki te matomato o tana witi, ki te āta haere o te tupu, oho rawa ake i te ata ka memenge kau, maroke pakupaku (MM.TKM 27/11/1856:3). / In the morning the condition of the wheat is fine, and in the evening the husbandman goes to bed happy about the healthy growth of his wheat, but when he wakes up in the morning it has all shrivelled up and is extremely dry.
5. (noun) smallness, small size.
Ka tuhi a Joseph Banks mō ngā Māori o Pēwhairangi e kata ana i a rātou mō te pakupaku o tō rātou kupenga i te 'Endeavour': ‘Ka mutu tā rātou kata i te pakupaku o tā mātou kupenga, ka whakaaturia mai tō rātou kupenga, e 9 mita te hōhonu, me te roa! (Te Ara 2016). / Joseph Banks wrote about the Māori of the Bay of Islands that they were laughing about the small size of their net on the 'Endeavour': ‘After laughing at how small our net was they showed us their net which was 9 metres deep, and really long!’
