marae

/ (məˈraɪ) /

noun

NZ a traditional Māori tribal meeting place, originally one in the open air, now frequently a purpose-built building

(in Polynesia) an open-air place of worship

Nearby words

Word Origin for marae

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

Examples from the Web for marae

The Maori led Bent to a small thatched hut on one side of the marae.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
A council of the people was held on the marae, and the killing of Kane was narrated in minutest and barbaric detail.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan
The body was then carried, amid songs and shouts of savage triumph, to the marae, there to be offered to the gods.
Curiosities of Superstition|W. H. Davenport Adams
The seven naked bodies were dragged into the pa and laid out in the centre of the marae.
The adventures of Kimble Bent|James Cowan

I recognised at once the old priest of the marae, but how changed since I last saw him!
The Island Home|Richard Archer