mageo, bitter, sour, acid; ava mageo, strong liquor; (fig.) oone
mageo, unhealthy land; ko te mageo, te tokerau, the cold winds
of the winter season (arch.)
magerogero, to feel an itch, to feel itchy.
magó, spotted dogfish, samll shark.
magugu, anus.
magúgúgúgu, tough, half raw, not well cooked.
magugu-puro, niggardly, stingy, miserly.
mahaga, baby (when able to stand by itself; the five stages of a
baby's development are: kaukau, puepe. tahuri. totoro. mahaga).
mahaki,
companion, colleague; mo hatu o
mahaki, for our companions' success (or happiness) (arch.)
a fish (of small size).
mahana,
tepid, lukewarm, warm; vai mahana,
warm water.
to stop raining; he-mahana te
ûa, the rain has stopped.
mahani, to get used to something, to get on with someone, to follow a
custom (good or bad); mahani-á au ki te ga me'e nei, I am
used to living with these people.
maharo, to admire something, to be astonished, to watch something with
delight, interest, or amazement. maharoga, object of admiration.
maheo, pus.
mahera, to cheat (of children playing).
mahia, transfer of a gift (when at a party someone is offered gifts
and passes them on to others).
mahiahia, light sea breeze.
mahiha, hangnail (skin).
mahigo, family (in the widest meaning), vassals, group of friends.
mahimahi, a fish.
mahina, moon; mahina omotohi, full moon; mahina ohiro,
new moon.
mahora, flat area.
mahore, a fish (small, silver-coloured).
mahu, to begin to heal (of an injury).
mahú, decent, proper, self-controlled, chaste; tagata
mahú, ina ekó oho i tu'a i te vî'e he is a decent
man who does not chase women.
mahuna, small skin tumours, pimples.
mahute, a tree (Boussonetia papyrifera) formerly more abundant
on the island, the fibres of which were used for clothing (see nua
and hami).
mai,
(prep.) from, since; mai
aganirá pemu'a from now on.
before, prior to (referring to a future
event certain to occur); mai ta'e oho au ki-Hiva, prior to my
leaving for the continent (note the use of the negative, lit.
"before I do not go...").
short for ka-avai-mai,mai te
kahu, give me the dress.
hither (movement towards the speaker); ka-ho-mai
( = ka-oho-mai). come here! welcome! hoki-mai-á e îa,
he has come back; ina kai garo'a-mai, he cannot understand it; ka-to'o-mai,
come and get it;
maîare, empty-handed (said jokingly to someone who comes back from a
fishing trip empty-handed).
maîka, banana (Musa sapientum). Ancient varieties were called ri'o,
hihi, korotea, pia, pukapuka, naho'o.
makenukenu, to beat (of pulse). he makenukenu te ûaûa (o te
kakari rima), the pulse (of the wrist) beats.
makere, an insect.
maki, lymphatic ganglion.
maki'iki'i, to be covered in tiny things such as seeds or similar
minuscule objects (of things).
makituu, clitoris.
makohe, a bird (dark, white-breaster, long-winged sea bird).
mako'i, a tree (Thespesia populnea), the fruit of this tree,
any tough inedible fruit, sandalwood fruit: mako'i nau opata.
mako'iko'i, kidney.
mâkona, to eat one's fill, to be satisfied.
makota, jealous.
makua, physiognomy, physical appearance, face, visage. te makua o
te poki era pehe makua o toona matu'a, that child resembles his
father. ko te repa maitaki, te makua pe Tagaroa what a fine lad, he
is the spit and image of Tagaroa.
makupuna, grandson, granddaughter, grandchild.
mama,
to chew.
to mouth-feed (arch.) he-mama i te
vai tôa koia ko te tiapito kiroto ki te haha o te poki, she
mouth-feeds the child with sugarcane juice together with tiapito
juice.
a sea mollusc (with an eight-horned
shell).
mamae, illness, pain, to be ill or in pain, afflicted. tagata
mamae, the sick.
mamahi, to argue, to quarrel, dispute,
quarrel (see tatake ).
mamaiá, to make a mistake; ku-mamaiá-koe you are wrong.
mamahu, gentle, meek (also mahú);
ta'e he mamahu ko koe e-ta'e me'e tako'a ena i taau, how very
gentle you are, you do not do to others as they do to you.
mamama,
bait (finely minced, it is deposited on
top of the fishhook, wrapped in the line itself). hau mamama,
fishing line in which the bait is tied.
mamama niuhi, shark.
mamara,
ill fame, bad reputation. kope
mamara, suspicious youngster.
way of living, habits.
bad-tempered; e-û i koe, ko te
korohua ena, korohua mamara; raá mo rivariva, raá mo riri.
be careful with that old fellow, for he is bad-tempered; some days he is
fine, some days he is cranky.
sling stone.
mâmari, egg, fish roe. mâmari
ata rauhau, last small egg laid by a hen before she turns broody.
mamoe, ewe, lamb (Tahitian term).
mana,
spiritual force, magical creative power,
attributed to divine beings, kings and some other persons.
to turn up at an opportune time, to come
unexpected, all of a sudden, as if by magic.
manana, to come out on an impulse, or
spontaneously (of things); he-manana-mai ki haho te vânaga,
words slip out (which should not be said, or are secret); he manana te
tagi, to burst into tears.
manaraga, to exist or to manifest oneself without external intervention.
lang=ES>Te Atua me'e manaraga, ina oona haka-araga; me'e
ta'e manaraga te hetu'u, te henua; me'e aga o te Atua. lang=ES> God exists of his own, He has no
procreator; the stars and the earth do not exist by themselves, they are
the work of God. Kahu manaraga, clothing out of nowhere (said when
you find strange clothes in your house, stolen by someone without your
knowledge).
manava, abdomen, belly, (fig.) affection, sensitivity, feelings; manava
more, grief; manava mate, infatuated, in love (with something);
ku-ká-á te manava, flared up, infuriated, irate; he-kava
te manava, offended, to turn sour, embittered (see also hatu (manava
hatu ).
manavai, hollow where rainwater accumulates; anciently, small, round
gardens, preferably situated in low shady spots, where the mahute
tree was grown.
mana'u, to think, to remember, thought, memory; ana noho au i Hiva,
he topa-haka-ou-mai te mana'u mo toou, when I am on the Continent, I
will remember you; he-uru te mana'u rake rake, to be full of
negative thoughts (v.g. despair); ku uru-á te mana'u rakerake,
ina ekó mana'u haka-ou i te me'e rivariva; e-ohonó, he-haka-mate
atu i a îa, he has become full negative thoughts, he no longer
remembers the good things, he just goes and is killing himself.
manega, cliff, dangerous pass, difficult climb.
manege, biggish, largish (between itiiti and nuinui); kumara
manege, a large sweet potato.
maniga, to feel acidity on one's teeth: maniga-á te niho.
maniri,
to become numb with cold, to grow cold; he-maniri
te haka-ri, the corpse grows cold; ku-maniri-á te kai,
the food has grown cold.
to go to sleep (of a limb), to become
numb; ku-maniri-á tooku va'e, my foot has gone to sleep,
has become numb.
to feel dizzy; ku-maniri-á te
puoko, I feel dizzy (lit.: [my] head has become dizzy).
manu,
bird; manu uru, bird figure (like
the drawings or wooden figures once found in caves and houses); manu
va'e e-há, four-legged bird (name given to the first sheep
introduced to the island).
insect. manupatia, wasp.
bird's egg: mâmari manu.
wild, untamed.
song in which is expressed the desire to
kill someone, or in which a crime is confessed: he-tapa i te manu
(see tapa ).
manunu, to be terrified, to feel
overwhelmed with terror.
mao, a verb only used in ku-mao-á, fine, I agree; mao,
let him be; mao, ina ekó haka-tagi, let him be, don't make
him cry.
maoa, to open up the earth oven and uncover the food once Sit is
cooked (arch.) ina ekó maoa i te umu a Ama Anakio, you
mustn't open Ama Anakio's oven, i.e. do not talk of past mistakes, don't
dig up old quarrels.
Maori, name of the country of origin of Hotu Matu'a which he fled
with his people following a cataclysm in a land called Hiva.
maori, wise teacher; tagata maori rogorogo, person who can
recite the signs of the tablets; maori hare, house builder; maori
îka, healer expert in treating fight injuries.
mara, to start rotting, going bad (e.g. a lobster, a fish). See also
mamara.
mara, maramara, lump, bruise from a blow.
maramara, ember.
marama, month, light. The ancient names of the month were: Tua
haro, Tehetu'upú, Tarahao, Vaitu nui, Vaitu poru, He Maro, He
Anakena, Hora iti, Hora nui, Tagaroa uri, Ko Ruti, Ko Koró.
Marama, name of an ancient tribe.
mararía, barren, sterile, fruitless; henua ma raría,
barren, unproductive land; aga mararía, useless,
unproductive work, to fail (of an attempt): he-aga i te aga, kai
rivariva, he-mararía.
mare, asthma; ku-mare-á au, I have a bout of asthma.
marego, bald; marego paka, completely bald.
mareni, water melon; mareni papaa, melon (both are modern
words).
marere, to fall to pieces, to get
spilled; ku marere-á te hare, the house has fallen to pieces
(can also mean: it has been abandoned).
marîa, calm, fair weather at sea; marîa-á a haho a te
tai, the sea is calm; marîa raparapa, sea as calm as a
millpond.
marikuru,
a white, clayey earth.
a tree (Sapindus saponaria) of
which very few specimens are left.
marimoko, grimace.
maripau, testicle.
maro, a sort of small banner or pennant of bird feathers tied to a
stick.
maroa,
to stand up, to stand.
fathom (measure). See kumi.
maroke, a tall, conica hat made of mahúte material and
covered with small feathers.
maruaki, to feel hungry, to be starving, hunger; he-topa te maruaki,
to feel hungry.
maruhi, a paralytic.
marumaru, shady; ka-oho ki te kona
marumaru, go in the shade.
mata,
tribe, people; te mata
tûai-era-á, the ancient tribes. Племя, народ.
extremity of the net where the weaving
ends, left side or left corner of a house.
wind. Matagi tarupa last strong,
cold winds after winter, after which people started their plantations
(arch.)
matakao,
oar.
matakao, uterus, womb.
matakeva, one-eyed, cross-eyed; (fam.) scatterbrain, absent-minded
person who cannot find things.
mâtaki, to open.
mataku, to ge afraid.
matamata,kahi matamata, a tuna
fish.
Matamea, Mars, a planet held to be of bad portent.
matamine, to wink, to signal with the eyelids.
matapea, name of a tattoo beneath the eyes.
matapia, bleariness of the eyes.
matapuku, to bud (of trees and vegetables).
matara, to come undone(of knots), to be free of obligations; ana
mate te kenu, ku-matara-á taana ví'e. when the husband
dies the wife is free.
Matariki, Pleiades (group of stars in the constellation of Taurus).
matato'a, tribal chieftain, chief, important person.
matu'u,
right side.
brave man or commander of a group of
warriors.
matavai, tears; he-rei i te matavai, to shed tears; he-monomono
te matavai, tears come in the eyes.
mate,
to die; he-mamate te gagata, many
people die.
to faint, to lose consciousness; he-tutu
ka mate ró to beat someone senseless (often used hyperbole).
to feel an overwhelming desire, to be
dying for; he mate ki te vai, to be dying for a drink of water.
manava mate, see manava.
to be overwhelmed with pain: mate-á
i te mamae.
matega, death.
matié, a creeping graminaceous (Cynodon dactylon).
matiro, a fish.
matou, we, us (see grammar).
matu, (exclam.) let's go!
matu'a,
father (also matu'a tamâroa);
matu'a hâgai, adoptive father or mother; matu'a
ké, uncle, aunt, close relative.
part of a net from which the weaving
started: te matu'a o te kupega.
matuku, a fish, of a rosy colour.
mau,
very, highly; ûka keukeu mau,
very hard-working girl.
to be plentiful; he-mau to te kaiga,
the island abounds in food.
properly.
ma'u,
to carry, to transport; he-ma'u-mai,
to bring; he-ma'u-atu, to remove, ma'u tako'a, to take away
with oneself; te tagata hau-ha'a i raro, ina ekó ma'u-tako'a i
te hauha'a o te kaiga nei ana mate; bienes terrenales cuando muere.
--> a rich man in this world world cannot take his earthly belongings
with him when he dies.
to fasten, to hold something fast, to be
firm; ku ma'u-á te veo, the nail holds fast.
to contain, to hold back; kai ma'u te
tagi i roto, he could not hold his tears back.
máûa, the two of us (oneself and a third person, second person
excluded. See grammar)
ka-noho koe he-oho máûa ki uta, you stay here, I am
going up with him.
maúga,
last; aga mauga o te Ariki o Hotu
Matu'a, King Hotu Matua's last work.
hill, mountain.
maúi, left side.
maúku, pasture, grass.
ma'uma'u
vânaga, to tell tales, to spread
gossip.
maúnu, part of a fish used directly as a bait, and which is stuck on
the hook without having been ground.
mea,
tonsil, gill (of fish).
red (probably because it is the colour
of gills); light red, rose; also meamea.
to grow or to exist in abundance in a
place or around a place: ku-mea-á te ma ka, bananas grow in
abundance (in this place); ku-mea-á te ka, there is plenty
of fish (in a stretch of the coast or the sea); ku-mea-á te
tai, the tide is low and the sea completely calm (good for fishing); mau
mea, abundance.
me'e,
something; thing; a being; me'e
hanohano, disgusting thing; me'e gutu, a being with a beak; me'e
kai magó koe? do you eat magó (dogfish)?
this, that; the one that, etc.: te ga
me'e era, those ones (over there); koai te me'e i-o'o-ai kiroto ki
te hare? who is it who entered the house?
to do something, to do in this manner: ina
ekó me'e, don't do this, don't do like this.
mei, to wither (of plants).
meme,
mémeméme, to grow poorly (of plants), to be retarded in its growth; to
fail (of a business, a contract, a piece of work).
memere, (also meremere) to leave
things in good order, matched or aligned: he-vevete-mai te kupega, he-haka-úru
ki te vai memere. he removes the net (which was secured) and drops it
into the water leaving it well spread out. ka-memere-mai te huruhuru
moa mo te hei (mo te ha'u vaero, mo te maroke) leave me the hens'
feathers arranged in proper order [by colour, by size] (for the hei
garland, the vaero hat, and the maroke).
meneheke, menehune, these two words, almost completely unknown today, seem to have
been used to shout at someone not to go somewhere or to take something,
but to wait first: kokoe he menehe ke, kokoe he menehune , or just:
meneheke. Menehue also seems to mean "to arrive late".
The meaning of these archaic terms is far from clear, but they also seem
to refer to socially inferior persons.
migo, an eel, see also koreha puhi, haoko, tapatea.
migoigoi,
to swarm, to teem, to pullulate; mainly
said of poultry: he-migoigoi te moa i mu'a i te hare, there are
lots and lots of chickens in front of the house.
Commonly used in conjunction with hiri
and toka for emphasis: e tamahine a Kaka e, ka-hiri, ka-toka,
ka-migoigoi! O, chickens of Kaka, (a man who had much poultry), grow
and multiply in great numbers! ; he-hiri, he-toka, he-migoigoi te
mana'u, to worry about or yearn for something or someone with burning
desire; he-hiri, he-toka, he-migogioi tooku mana'u ki te matu'a, I
think of my mother without respite; he-hiri, he-toka, he-migoigoi te
mana'u ki te ka, I am dying for some fish (to eat).
damaged, spoilt, bad-tasting (of
vegetables), e.g. kumara migomigo.
mihaore, fortunate, happy, lucky; ekó mihaore koe , ana moe
ki te kenu ga poki rikiriki, you will not be happy if you marry a man
who is still like a small child.
mihimihi, drizzle.
mimí, urine; to urinate. Моча.
mimiro, to move around something in
circles; he-mimiro te henua , to feel dizzy as if the ground under
you was moving in circles.
minemine, to blink.
mini, to dodge back (to avoid being attacked); to withdraw quickly;
also minimini.
miramira, mess of things.
miritonu, a family of seaweeds, with eight members: miritonu meamea,
miritonu karu viviri, miritonu karu tiare, miritonu parapara-raha uri,
miritonu parapara-raha mea, miritonu harepepe meamea, miritonu harepepe
uri-uri, miritonu reherehe. See also: aúke , karakama,
kiroké, magamaga, pa'a, parai, takapú, verevere.
miro,
wood, stick; also (probably improperly)
used for "tree": miro tahiti, a tree from Tahiti (Melia azedarach); miro huru iti, shrub.
wooden vessel (canoe, boat); today pahú
(a Tahitian word) in more used, especially when speaking of modern boats.
name of the tribe, of royal blood,
descended from Ariki Hotu Matu'a.
miro-oone, model boat made of earth in which the "boat
festivals" used to be celebrated.
miti, salt; to be soaked up (a liquid); to dry (a puddle of water): he-miti
te puna.
mitimiti, to click one's tongue in sign of disagreement or of annoyance
("tsk, tsk").
mo, for (prep.): mo te aha, what for? (also: mo he);
moira, because of this; mo aha-mai-á, ana oho au,
what use is it to me, if I go?
moa, poultry (general term); moa to'a, rooster; moa taga,
chicken, moa rikiriki, chick; moa tarapiko, old rooster
(with much twisted spurs - tara ); moa gao verapaka, chicken
with bald neck; moa va'e verevere, with feathers on its legs; moa
pipipipi with multicoloured spots; moa garahurahu, colour of
dark ashes; moa tea, white; moa totara, frizzy; moa tu'a
ivi raá, with bright yellow back.
Moaha,
name of an ákuáku.
archaic term, may have meant "to
protect, to save" but it is completely unknown today.
moai, statue, figurine, likeness of a person or of an animal; moai
ma'ea, stone statue; moai miro, wooden statue, moai
toromiro, toromiro figurine (the toromiro is a tree now extinct).
moamoa,
a shellfish, vulgarly called "pico"
(beak, spout), found sticking to the rocks of the coast.
to look after, to care for (a sick
person): e-moamoa koe i te tagata mamae, look after this sick man
well.
moamoai, the clouds that rise on the horizon, especially in the
evenings, and look a bit like moai.
moana, blue; name of a rock in the sea, opposite Tahai: motu
haúre moana; a tribe of the island was called: Hau Moana.
moe,
to go to bed.
to dream: he-moe i te pó.
to wed, to cohabit with (ki).
familiar expression: ka-moe-ata.
leave it, don't pay attention to it.
expression used upon seeing an object
which brings the memory of someone: ka-moe-mai (here lies): ka-moe-mai
te niho kai hônu o Hotu Matu'a...
moehara, to stay in expectation of discovering something, of seeing
something, whether a promise is fulfilled, etc.
moemata, to dream, to see in a dream ( - moe i tepó).
moega, mat formerly used as a bed.
moemoe, to live promiscuously, to sleep around.
mohimohi, smooth, hairless: kiri mohimohi - kiri magó,
smooth hairless skin, like that of the dogfish (without scales).
mo ko, mo ko ko, to get dark; (also mokirokiro); ekó hini
ana-mo ko ko-ró it will be dark soon (there already being thick
clouds).
mokirokiro, to get dark.
moko,
lizard; moko manu uru, figurine
of a lizard (made of wood).
to throw oneself on something, to take
quickly, to snatch; to flee into the depths (of fish); tagata moko,
interloper, intruder, someone who seizes something quickly and swiflty,
or cleverly intrudes somewhere; ka-moko ki te kai, ka-moko, ka-aaru,
quickly grab some food, grab and catch.
to throw oneself upon someone, to
attack:: he-moko, he-reirei, to attack and kick.
moko roa:
to make a long line (of plantation); moko poto, to make a short
line.
see: ihu moko.
Mokomae, name of an ancient tribe of the island.
momoko,
(reduplicative of moko) to flock
onto something: ku-momoko-á te manu ki te ka, the birds threw
themselves on the fish (on the surface of the sea).
pointed; (seems to mean, in general,
anything with a slim or pointed shape, like the shape of a lizard - moko),
e.g. hanau momoko, slim people, slim race.
momore, - more, to hack, to cut off; archaic expression: momore
he-gava'e he-kakava - to split a hen in half before cooking it for two
persons, so that one gets the lower half with the legs, the other the
upper half with the breast.
momotu, term used, according to old Eva Hey, for kete, bag,
purse, small basket (made of vegetable fibres). It may have its origin in
the term momotu. for islet, basket or purse needed to carry food
when one went to Motu nui or some other motu.
momomomo, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, of plants
or clothing such as nua, often eaten by hiu (a moth endemic
on the island).
momotara, a fish, called "pez-vaca" (cowfish).
mono, to offer or to ask for something in exchange for something else,
to barter, to exchange: he-mono-atu au ki a koe i te uha, I offer
you a hen (in exchange for something else).
momotara, in the meaning of taking revenge, expresses the idea of killing
someone in retaliation for someone else having been assassinated: Heto'o-maia
Kaiga i a Makita, he-ta'o mo mono o tau poki era aana ko Maaga. Kainga
caught Makita and cooked him in revenge of his son Maanga (whom he had
killed because of Makita).
more, to cut, to tear; cut or wound inflicted by sharp instrument
like obsidian; manava more, sadness (lit: torn soul). Tu'a ivi
more, lumbago.
morega, slice, piece, bit, cutting.
morí,
a fish (of tasty flesh).
modern term for grease, candle, lamp,
light.
moroki,
chrysalis, pupa.
any small fish used as bait on the
fishhook, when fishing in the open sea; hau moroki, strong line
used for fishing in deep waters with moroki bait.
to make an excellent job of something; ahu
moroki; ahu made of well-dressed stones, smooth and fitted together
(like that of Vinapú); ka-moroki toou hare , build you
house well! (today moroti, is also used instead of moroki).
morore, bastard, illegitimate child.
motamota, to sprinkle, to mottle, to marble something, e.g. a nua
cape, sprinkling it with the juice of the púa plant.
moté, a fish.
motiho, to become cloudy, overcast: raá motiho, cloudy
day; motiho-á te raá , the sky is overcast, dark (see
mo ko).
motu,
to cut; to snap off: motu-á te
hau, the fishing line snapped off; to engrave, to inscribe letters or
pictures in stone or in wood, like the motu mo rogorogo,
inscriptions for recitation in lines called kohau.
islet; some names of islets: Motu
Motiro Hiva, Sala y Gómez; and around the island: Motu Nui,
Motu Iti, Motu Kaokao, Motu Tapu, Motu Marotiri, Motu Kau, Motu Tavake,
Motu Tautara, Motu Ko Hepa Ko Maihori, Motu Hava.
motuha,
distributor, the host who has the honour
of distributing food or other gifts at a feast.
the person who directs and allocates the
various tasks in a communal enterprise (like a foreman): motuha
kupega, the man who manages the handling of the nets in a fishing
expedition.
motu rau uri, southeast wind.
motu takarua, west wind.
mou,
to keep quiet, to be silent.
to die: ku-mou-á te tagata
era, that man has died.
mouga,
moúga, last: vânaga
moúga o te Ariki O Hotu Matu'a, the last words of King Hotu
Matu'a.
moumou, to take to pieces, to undo, to pull down (a house, a
building), to destroy.
mu'a (перед, до), front, before; used with prepositions
a, i, o, ki, mai; i mu'a i.., in front of..., etc.
mu a, to turn up (of swarms of flies); to swarm over a body (of
flies).
muko, joint father-in-law or mother-in-law.
mukomuko,
to present the Ariki in Anakena
with the first fruits.
upper part of a sugarcane used as a
signal, stuck on top of a pipi horeko (stone mound); also any
small stick on top of a stone mound, as a signal.
mumú, taciturn, silent; mute.
munimuni, short (see potopoto; teketeke).
muraki, to bury; to deposit a corpse in the niche of an ahu or
in a grave.
mutamuta, talkative.
muti, mutimuti,
to wither for lack of moisture; to be
destroyed (of plantations) by robbery or drought.
to gnaw and suck: he-mutimuti te ivi
o te moa, to gnaw and suck at the bones of a chicken.