tītōhea
1. (verb) to be barren, exhausted by frequent cultivation, unproductive.
Ko te take i pēnei ai te nui o te utu, he mate nō te whenua i te Hainamana, hoki rawa atu ki te tangata nōna kua tītohea te whenua i te kaha o tana whakatō i ngā raurau ririki nei (TPH 15/3/1901:1). / The reason that the payment is so high is a problem with the land caused by the Chinese in that when it is returned to the owner the land is exhausted by having been so frequently planted with vegetables.
2. (modifier) barren, exhausted by frequent cultivation, unproductive.
Ahakoa titiro ki hea, he koraha, he whenua tūpā, he whenua tītōhea (HM 2/2009:10). / No matter where you looked, there was desert, flat country and barren land.
3. (noun) infertile ground.
He mea nō taua whenua, he repo, he tītohea, kāhore kau he rākau, he wāhi kōhatu (TW 8/6/1878:292). / Features of that country are swamps and infertile ground, there are no trees and it is a stoney place.
