pihi
1. (verb) (-a) to spring up, begin to grow.
Ka pō, kātahi ka whakaaro ngā tāngata whenua, a Ngāti Hinewai, koi tahuri te taua ki te hauhake i ngā purapura o ā rātau māra kūmara, kua pihi hoki te kūmara, ngā tipu (JPS 1919:93). / When night fell the local people, Ngāti Hinewai, became concerned that the war party might set about harvesting the tubers of their kūmara gardens as the kūmara had started shooting sprouts.
2. (noun) shoot, sprout, antler, horn.
Ko ngā pihi o te purapura i te take o te purapura e kore e tino kaha te tupu o ērā, tēnā ko te pihi e tupu ake ana i te matamata o te rīwai e ngakia ana hei purapura, ko te pihi tērā e tino nui he rīwai e tupu (TW 20/4/1878:177). / The sprouts at the base of the tuber don't grow very vigorously, whereas the shoots growing up from the top of the potato produce much more vigorous offspring.
See also tū ngā pihi, pipihi
Synonyms: tupu, kotete, tipu, kōkihi, wene, pupuhi, pipihi, puhi, puhipuhi, pihinga, kāwai, tītere
