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ariki

[ah-ree-kee]
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noun, plural a·ri·ki.
  1. (in Polynesia) a chief or king.
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Origin of ariki

From Maori
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ariki

Historical Examples

  • This misdemeanour was, in Maori eyes, fatal to his prestige as an ariki and a war-leader.

    The adventures of Kimble Bent

    James Cowan

  • These communities collectively acknowledged the superior prestige of an Ariki, or hereditary high chief.

  • Next day the fern of his child is eaten by the Ariki (head chief).

  • For the ariki is thoroughly aware of the gradual extinction which is coming for his race.

British Dictionary definitions for ariki

ariki

noun plural ariki
  1. NZ the first-born male or female in a notable family; chief
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Word Origin

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