Motu
1 Britishnoun
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a member of an aboriginal people of S Papua
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the language of this people, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family
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Also called: Hiri Motu. Police Motu. a pidgin version of this language, widely used in Papua-New Guinea Compare Neo-Melanesian
noun
Etymology
Origin of motu
C21: Hindi
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.
What followed was another old-school video packaged as a "herpes destigmatisation course", featuring other national icons like former health ministry chief Sir Ashley Bloomfield and professional boxer Mea Motu.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025
When, in 1628, William Harvey published “De Motu Cordis,” his theory of the circulation of blood, he relied on vivisections of dogs and sheep.
From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2023
Motu Motiro Hiva –also called Salas y Gómez– is an uninhabited island, but its land and the surrounding waters have been affected by pollution.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2022
Before the lockdown, New Zealand appeared to be on a trajectory similar to Italy’s, said John McDermott, executive director at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, who has been modeling the virus’s transmission.
From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2020
A few can read in the Motu dialect; others know how to put letters together and form words.
From Adventures in New Guinea by Chalmers, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
