whatu

Maori

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *fatu, from Proto-Oceanic *patu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batu (“stone”).

Noun

whatu

  1. stone
    Ko te whatu i te pou tuarongo te wāhi tapu, ko te Kura a Tangaroa, he kōwhatu āhua pūwhero nei, he kōwhatu nō te kei o 'Kurahaupō'.
    The stone deposited at the rear post of the house marked the tapu spot and it was the Kura a Tangaroa. It was a reddish stone, being a stone belonging to the stern of 'Kurahaupō'.
  2. hailstone
    Nō te 10 o ngā rā o te marama nei i te rua o ngā hāora o te awatea, ka ua tētahi ua, 10 meneti i ua ai. Kātahi ka rere he whatu.
    On the 10th of this month at 2 pm, it rained for 10 minutes. Then some hail fell.
  3. (anatomy) eye; pupil
    Synonyms: kanohi, karu
    Ina rā, te pūhutihuti me te mā o ngā makawe, te kikorangi o ngā whatu, te tāroaroa o te hanga, te paipa i te waha, he pāhau te kanohi, me tana kāmeta mau haere tonu e pūhia ana e te hau kaha o Pōneke.
    Tall, bearded, with a shock of white hair and blue eyes, pipe in mouth, ever-present scarf flicking about in Wellington's stiffer breezes, he was instantly recognisable.
  4. (botany) kernel (of a fruit)
Derived terms
  • kōwhatu
  • pōwhatu

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *fatu, from Proto-Oceanic *patuʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batuʀ (“to weave, plait”).

Noun

whatu

  1. to weave; to knit
    Whatua mai te aho kia kāwitiwiti, kia kātoatoa mō te oti wawe, e hine!
    For an earlier completion, weave the cross threads so that they taper and contract, girl!

Further reading
  • “whatu” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
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