whatu

Maori

Etymology 1

FromProto-Polynesian*fatu,fromProto-Oceanic*patu,fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*batu(“stone”).

Noun

whatu

1. stone

   Ko tewhatui te pou tuarongo te wāhi tapu, ko te Kura a Tangaroa, he kōwhatu āhua pūwhero nei, he kōwhatu nō te kei o 'Kurahaupō'.

   Thestonedeposited 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 hewhatu.

   On the 10th of this month at 2 pm, it rained for 10 minutes. Then somehailfell.

3. (anatomy)eye;pupil

   Synonyms:kanohi,karu

   Ina rā, te pūhutihuti me te mā o ngā makawe, te kikorangi o ngāwhatu,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 blueeyes,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

FromProto-Polynesian*fatu,fromProto-Oceanic*patuʀ,fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*batuʀ(“to weave, plait”).

Verb

whatu

1. toweave;toknit

   Whatuamai te aho kia kāwitiwiti, kia kātoatoa mō te oti wawe, e hine!

   For an earlier completion,weavethe 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.