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whatu. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
whatu, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
whatu in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
whatu you have here. The definition of the word
whatu will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
whatu, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Maori
Etymology 1
From Proto-Polynesian *fatu, from Proto-Oceanic *patu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batu (“stone”).
Noun
whatu
- 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'.
- 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.
- (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.
- (botany) kernel (of a fruit)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Proto-Polynesian *fatu, from Proto-Oceanic *patuʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batuʀ (“to weave, plait”).
Noun
whatu
- 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.