tiki

American  

[tee-kee] / ˈti ki /

noun

1. (initial capital letter) (in Polynesian mythology) the first man on earth.

2. (in Polynesian cultures) a carved image, as of a god or ancestor, sometimes worn as a pendant around the neck.

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tiki British  

/ ˈtiːkɪ /

noun

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

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verb

1. (intr) to take a scenic tour around an area

Etymology

Origin of tiki

1875–80; < Maori and Marquesan

Example Sentences

"I called her my tiki torch," Lampert said.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

The Bamboo Room, a smaller bar within the sprawling Chicago tiki oasis Three Dots and a Dash, attracts a regular crowd of devotees who love its rum flights and elevated takes on tiki classics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Stolen Saddle in Chicago—a three-story, 16,000-square-foot behemoth on a busy strip near Wrigley Field—was, until recently, a tiki bar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

“Because everyone is using the word ‘martini’ to describe things that are basically like, I don’t know, tiki drinks.”

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

Viviana had built the deck herself, and erected a fully-stocked tiki bar, complete with carved masks, coconuts, and a thatched roof.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson