whanau

British

/ ˈfɑːnaʊ /

noun

(in Māori societies) a family, esp an extended family

"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 whanau

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.

See Examples For:

whanau

Many Maoris claim to join as much for whanau, or family, as for money, power or thrills.

From Economist ● Feb. 8, 2018

The party was able to push ahead with policies to foster the Maori language and a strategy to deliver services to Maori people called whanau ora, after the native word for family.

From BusinessWeek ● Nov. 29, 2011

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