Maori

[ mah-aw-ree, -oh-ree, mou-ree, mah-ree ]

/ ˈmɑ ɔ ri, -oʊ ri, ˈmaʊ ri, ˈmɑ ri /

noun, plural Ma·o·ris, (especially collectively) Ma·o·ri for 1.

a member of the native Polynesian population of New Zealand.

a Polynesian language, the language of the Maoris.

adjective

of or relating to the Maoris or their language.

Content related to Maori

Which Words Did English Take From Other Languages?English—is one of the most incredible, flavorfully-complex melting pots of linguistic ingredients from other countries. These linguistic ingredients are called loanwords that have been borrowed and incorporated into English. The loanwords are oftentimes so common now, the foreign flavor has been completely lost.

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

Examples from the Web for maori

However one Maori king has refused to meet the royals saying the 45-minute window he was allotted was not sufficiently respectful.
Kate, William and George’s Tour of Australasia, Key Dates|Tom Sykes|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Named after the Maori forest god, the largest living kauri has stretched to 167 feet in height in its 1200-plus years.
It’s a Big, Big World: Sights That Make You Feel Small|Lonely Planet|December 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Garnish with purple Maori potato, vegetables and lightly fried kawakawa leaves.
The Maori Star Chef Rocking the South Pacific|Lea Lane Stern|April 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But even the most adventuresome eaters have probably never eaten Maori pikopiko pesto.
The Maori Star Chef Rocking the South Pacific|Lea Lane Stern|April 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The Maori led Bent to a small thatched hut on one side of the marae.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
The scouts were crouching in the fern within a yard or so of the Maori track.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
To this interesting point of Maori criticism we shall return when we treat on the tenses; vid.
Grammar of the New Zealand language (2nd edition)|Robert Maunsell
He had caught the fever of the moment, and in all but skin was a Maori.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
His great services in reducing the Maori language to written form have hardly been sufficiently recognised.
A History of the English Church in New Zealand|Henry Thomas Purchas

British Dictionary definitions for maori

Māori

/ (ˈmaʊrɪ) /

noun

plural -ri or -ris a member of the people living in New Zealand and the Cook Islands since before the arrival of European settlers. They are descended from Polynesian voyagers who migrated in successive waves from the ninth century onwards

the language of this people, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

adjective

of or relating to this people or their language

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