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Te Aka
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Te Aka Māori Dictionary
Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

poharu

1. (verb) to sink, be stuck (into mud, etc.).

Kāore i roa e haere ana ka poharu, ka tīmata te oke i roto i te huka (TP 10/1910:2). / He hadn't been travelling for long when he got stuck and began struggling in the snow.

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2. (modifier) soft, boggy, sodden.

Kotahi te tangata e ārahi ana i tōna kāta i te huarahi, ka tae ki te wāhi poharu ka mau tētahi o ngā wīra i rō repo (TWM 30/8/1870:2). / One man was leading his cart along the road when he came to a boggy part and one of the wheels got stuck in the bog.

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See also powharu

3. (noun) bog, mud, quagmire.

Kore i ārikarika te marangai - kūtere atu, kūtere atu te poharu, ā, hei ngā awa rere ana te waipuke (TWK 14:31). / There was a lot of rain - the quagmire became slushier and slushier and the the rivers flooded.

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Synonyms: oru, pōharuharu, wharu, paruparu, kene, hū, paru, one

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