tiki

[ tee-kee ]
/ ˈti ki /

noun

(initial capital letter) (in Polynesian mythology) the first man on earth.
(in Polynesian cultures) a carved image, as of a god or ancestor, sometimes worn as a pendant around the neck.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tiki

1875–80; < Maori and Marquesan

Words nearby tiki

tik-tik, tika, tikal, tikanga, tike, tiki, tiki tour, tikka, tikkiny, tikoloshe, tikrit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tiki

British Dictionary definitions for tiki

tiki
/ (ˈtiːkɪ) /

noun

an amulet or figurine in the form of a carved representation of an ancestor, worn in some Māori cultures

verb

(intr) NZ to take a scenic tour around an area

Word Origin for tiki

from 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