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Pakeha. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Pakeha, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Pakeha in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Maori pākehā (“stranger”).
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Pakeha
- (New Zealand) A non-Maori, especially a European New Zealander.
2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 134:They were the kind of Pākehā who, in the eyes of the Protestant missionaries, set a bad example to Māori.
2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Hodder and Stoughton, →ISBN:Henry asked if missionaries were now active on the Chathams at which Mr Evans & Mr D’Arnoq exchanged looks, & the former informed us, ‘Nay, the Maori don’t take kindly to us Pakeha spoiling their Moriori with too much civilization.’
Usage notes
- "Pakeha" is capitalised when referring to ethnic Europeans specifically.
- Some New Zealanders prefer New Zealand European (formal) or Kiwi (informal).
- Although "Pakeha" is widely used in politics and media, the use of "New Zealand European (Pakeha)" in the New Zealand 1996 census provoked a "significant adverse reaction" and the word "Pakeha" was subsequently removed.
- In New Zealand English, macrons are often used to reflect the word's Maori origin.
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References