Maori
[mah-aw-ree, -oh-ree, mou-ree, mah-ree]
- a member of the native Polynesian population of New Zealand.
- a Polynesian language, the language of the Maoris.
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- of or relating to the Maoris or their language.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for maori
Contemporary Examples
The Haka, a traditional Maori dance, is best known as the pregame ritual of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team.
However one Maori king has refused to meet the royals saying the 45-minute window he was allotted was not sufficiently respectful.
Named after the Maori forest god, the largest living kauri has stretched to 167 feet in height in its 1200-plus years.
Garnish with purple Maori potato, vegetables and lightly fried kawakawa leaves.
But even the most adventuresome eaters have probably never eaten Maori pikopiko pesto.
Historical Examples
We have other Maori neighbours besides Tama and his immediate following.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
All that was is gone; and the land of the Maori is no longer theirs.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
Then there will be children that shall live, and a new race of Maori blood.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
This was the land of the Maori before the Pakeha came out of the sea.'
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
This Maori town may be considered the metropolis of the Ngatewhatua tribe.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
Māori
- 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
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- of or relating to this people or their language
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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
Word Origin and History for maori
Maori
"Polynesian inhabitant of New Zealand," 1843, native name, said to mean "of the usual kind."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper