matai

British

/ ˈmɑːtaɪ /

noun

Also called: black pine. a coniferous evergreen tree of New Zealand, Podocarpus spicatus, having a bluish bark and small linear leaves arranged in two rows: timber used for flooring and weatherboards

"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

Etymology

Origin of matai

Māori

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Samoa, only a matai - a family or clan leader - can be elected to parliament.

From BBC

"Fundamentally our electoral system was premised on our traditional matai system," she said.

From Reuters

All Matamata’s victims said they were too scared to complain about their treatment, given Matamata’s matai or chiefly status, which commanded absolute obedience.

From The Guardian

His victims, who were all Samoan, were too scared to alert the authorities because of his status as a matai or chief, the court heard.

From BBC

All of Matamata’s victims said they were too scared to complain about their treatment, given Matamata’s matai or chiefly status, which commanded absolute obedience.

From The Guardian

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023