ariki

[ ah-ree-kee ]

/ ɑˈri ki /

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noun, plural a·ri·ki.

(in Polynesia) a chief or king.

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Origin of ariki

From Maori

Words nearby ariki

Aries, arietta, arigato, aright, Arikara, ariki, aril, arillate, arillode, Arimathaea, Arimathea

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How to use ariki in a sentence

This misdemeanour was, in Maori eyes, fatal to his prestige as an ariki and a war-leader.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
Next day the fern of his child is eaten by the Ariki (head chief).
Grammar of the New Zealand language (2nd edition)|Robert Maunsell
Apopo ake ka kainga e te Ariki te roi o tana tamaiti, the fern root of the tuatanga is eaten by the father.
Grammar of the New Zealand language (2nd edition)|Robert Maunsell
These communities collectively acknowledged the superior prestige of an Ariki, or hereditary high chief.
The City of Auckland|John Barr

For the ariki is thoroughly aware of the gradual extinction which is coming for his race.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)|William Delisle Hay

British Dictionary definitions for ariki

ariki

/ (ˈɑːrɪkɪ) /

noun plural ariki

NZ the first-born male or female in a notable family; chief

Word Origin for ariki

Māori

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012