rāwhiti

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Maori

Etymology

From (sun) +‎ whiti (spring up).

No words for the cardinal directions can be unambiguously reconstructed for Proto-Polynesian, as there would be little use for them on the small Polynesian islands. However, on the much larger North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and South Island (Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand, the usefulness of such terminology led the Māori to coin this word for "east".

Pronunciation

Noun

rāwhiti

  1. east
    Synonyms: (rare) tamawahine, (obsolete) īta

Coordinate terms

(compass points)

tapatapātiu tokerau, raki kārapu
uru rāwhiti
uru-mā-tonga tonga pitonga


References

  1. ^ Bruce Biggs (1994) “New Words for a New World”, in A. K. Pawley, M. D. Ross, editors, Austronesian Terminologies: Continuity and Change (Pacific Linguistics Series C; 127), Australian National University, →DOI, page 26.