Māori

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a member of the Indigenous Polynesian people of Aotearoa New Zealand

   A Māori historian discussed the importance of whakapapa to the community.

2. 2
   noun

   the Polynesian language of the Māori people, also called te reo Māori

   The school offers every student an introduction to Māori.

3. 3
   adj

   relating to the Māori people, their language, or their culture

   The exhibition was developed in partnership with Māori artists and elders.

Borrowed from Māori maori, 'ordinary, natural, native, or genuine,' ultimately from a Proto-Polynesian word meaning 'true or real.' The macron in Māori marks a long vowel and is preferred in modern writing. Māori is normally unchanged in the plural; Maories is obsolete.

Topics