hongi

[ hong-ee ]

/ ˈhɒŋ i /

noun New Zealand.

a Maori greeting in which noses are pressed together.

Nearby words

hong kong, hong kong influenza, hong kongese, hong xiu quan, hong-wu, hongi, hongshui he, hongwu, honi soit qui mal y pense, honiara, honied

Origin of hongi

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1840–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hongi

Hongi was chiefly impressed by the bishop's wig, which he thought must be emblematic of wisdom.
A History of the English Church in New Zealand|Henry Thomas Purchas
In 1819 the rev. gentleman bought his settlement at Kerikeri from Hongi Hika, the price being forty-eight axes.
The Book of the Bush|George Dunderdale
As Turi could not write, Hongi made the ingenious suggestion that his moko, or face-tattoo, should be copied on the deed.
The Long White Cloud|William Pember Reeves
Now, poor Arawa, you will find out to your cost how Hongi is coming to Mokoia!
Camp Fire Yarns of the Lost Legion|G. Hamilton-Browne

For a whole season, Hongi was a sort of lion among London society.
History of Australia and New Zealand|Alexander Sutherland

British Dictionary definitions for hongi

hongi

/ (ˈhɒŋiː) /

noun

NZ a form of salutation expressed by touching noses

Word Origin for hongi

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