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Loan words

Historical loan words

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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

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.

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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.

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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.

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