whenua

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fenua (cognate with Hawaiian henua and Tahitian fenua), from Proto-Central Pacific *vanua, from Proto-Oceanic *panua, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *banua (compare with Malay benua).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ɸe.nu.a/, [fɛ.nʉ.ɐ]

Noun

whenua

  1. land
  2. country
  3. ground
  4. placenta, afterbirth

Derived terms

See also
  • motu (“an island”)

References
  • “whenua” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
  • Tregear, Edward (1891) Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary‎, Wellington, New Zealand: Lyon and Blair, pages 620-1
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.