2. (noun) chief.
Mate atu he tētē, ara mai he tētē (TTR 1990:120). / When a fern frond dies another emerges. (A figurative use - as one chief dies another rises to take his place.)
3. (noun) figurehead of a canoe without arms and legs.
E whā ngā waka nei, he waka toiera, he waka pītau, he waka pakoko, he waka tētē (TP 4/1911:10). / These four canoes were: a war canoe with a carved stern and stem, a canoe with a figurehead, a canoe with an armless figurehead, and a canoe with a figurehead without arms and legs.
4. (noun) Prince of Wales Feathers, crape fern, Leptopteris superba - native tufted ground fern, often with a short woody trunk. Fronds tapered equally at both ends, very finely divided. Fluffy to touch. Grows best in cool, wet forest. Frond tapers at both ends.
See also heruheru
Synonyms: maikukuroa, ngutu kākāriki, pūniu, tētē kura, tētēkura, ngutungutu kiwi, pūnui, heruheru
