pīpipi
1. (noun) brown creeper, Mohoua novaeseelandiae - a small endemic forest bird of the South Island and Stewart Island, reddish-brown crown, rump and tail, ash-grey on face and neck, and light buff underparts. Usually found in small, fast-moving noisy flocks high in the canopy.
Synonyms: tītirihika, pipirihika, toitoi
2. (noun) shining sunset shell, Soletellina nitida - a triangular-shaped bivalve mollusc common in sand near low tide. Fragile shell, often with a greenish-yellow, varnish-like coating. Purplish near the hinge and inside.
Kātahi taua tangata rā ka mahara he pakake; kātahi ka nuku atu ki te taha titiro atu ai. Nō te kitenga o taua tangata i ngā kanohi e kamokamo ana mai i roto i te pīpipi, kātahi anō taua tangata ka mōhio he tangata tonu (JPS 1921:43). / The man at first thought it was a minke whale, but then he moved nearer to have a closer look. When he saw the eyes of that man, which were blinking from amidst the shining sunset shells, he knew it was a human being.
3. (noun) cirrostratus - cloud forming a thin, fairly uniform semi-translucent layer at high altitude. Often used in the phrase pīpipi o te rangi.
Ka kite a Tūpai i te rangi e tuhi ana te pīpipi o te rangi (JPS 1926:240). / Tūpai saw the sky adorned with cirrostratus cloud.
See also pipi
