K

ké
  1. other; different; different being; hare ké, a different house; e-ké-ro-á… e-ké-ro-á… there are some who… and others who…; me'e ké. something distinct, different: te puaka ina oona kuhane; me'e ké te tagata, he hakari oona, he kuhane, an animal has no soul; man is different, he has a body, and a soul; matu'a ké, the other relatives.
  2. ké te kairua, person who turns up for meals at other people's homes.
  3. used in exclamations: hahau ké! what a cool breeze!; hana ké! how hot! takeo ké! how cold!
keakea
swollen (of a woman's belly after a few months of pregnancy): ku-keakea-á te manava o te hanau tama, the pregnant woman's belly is swollen.
keho
flag-stone (which is plentiful in Rano Kau and was used to build Orongo); stone disc, used as a thrown weapon in wars.
kehu
hidden; what cannot be seen because it is covered; he-kehu te raá, said of the sun when it has sunk below the horizon.
ke'i
ability, skill, aptitude for a particular work: tagata ke'i mo keukeu o te henua. man good at working on the land and maintaining his family; ke'i kore inability: he ke'i kore o te tagata mo aga, mo hâgai i toona mahigo, man's inability to wordk and feed his family; ina he ke'i me aga, no aptitude for work.
keke
to go down after after reached its zenith (of the sun): he-keke te raá.
keke'e
to be lying on the ground, partly above it, to stick out: ma'ea ke'e ke'e, stones sticking out of the ground.
kékekéke
to rustle, to creak: ku-kekekeke-áte hare i te to kerau, the house creaked in the wind.
kekepu
animal mentioned in ancient traditions, the flesh of which was eaten in Hiva (also kepukepu).
kekeri
to feel an indisposition of the stomach or the bowels: he-kekeri te manava.
keke'u
shoulder (according to others, shoulder-blade); used also for "arm".
kena
a sea bird, with a white breast and black wings, considered a symbol of good luck and noble attitudes.
kenu
husband.
keo
in human beings, upper part of the sternum, shaped like a fork; in birds, wish-bone.
ke'o, ke'oke'o
fast, quick; to hurry; ka-ke'o-mai, come quickly, hurry up.
kepo
sargasso, floating seaweeds.
kere
used in the expression: he-kere i te ahi, to keep a fire going from one day to the next, by leaving embers in a hole in the ground, throwing some firewood on top, and covering it with ashes and some stones so that it does not burn out later.
kerega
  1. to be able (to do something): e-kerega-ró koe mo aga i te aga nei? will you be able to do this work? Used more often in a negative meaning; for instance, of a barren marriage: ina he kerega mo te poki.
  2. to produce results, to succeed: ina kai kerega te ara, e-hoki-no-mai, the expedition did not succeed, he came back (empty-handed); ina he kerega, said of fishermen who return empty-handed.
kerekere
dark; black.
kerekeretú
lead-coloured tufa.
kerereki
hiccup, to have the hiccups.
keri
  1. to dig the ground to open a hole: he-keri i te rua; to pull sweet potatoes, yams, etc. out of the ground: he-keri i te kumara, ite uhi.
  2. quick, repeated movements: he-keri te tokerau, the wind whips, blowing strongly; he-keri te vave, the waves break continuously and strongly: ka-keri koe, ka-rere te va'e, hurry up, get running.
kero
to complete, to finish a work; he-kero te maîka, to complete a banana plantation.
kete
purse, basket (made of sugarcane leaves or of totora) kete hakaraka, gift of regalo formerly made to a newborn baby's mother.(See, in the traditions, the text entitled "Hens for a Baby's Good Luck"). The exact meaning of this word is unclear.
ketekete
book of cigarette papers; omasum, psalterium (ruminant's stomach).
ketu
  1. to raise, to lift. Figuratively: to praise, to exalt, he-ketu, he-hakaávaáva i te igoa o te Atua, to praise and glorify the name of God.
  2. to open an abcess, a pus formation (transitive and intransitive).
  3. to speak again of someone else's past failure which had been buried and forgotten.
keu
communal enterprise, work done in common: mo te keu. for the work done in common (for instance: collecting food mo te keu, to give to the helpers).
keukeu
  1. to work; to work long and steadily: he-keukeu te aga; tagata keukeu henua, farmer.
  2. to get ready, e.g. for a trip: ka-keukeu koe , ki oho tâtou. get ready, we are going; ka-keukeu ki turu ki tai, ki hî, get ready for going down to the sea, to fish.
  3. to approach (of rain): he-keukeu te ûa.
keva
blind (mata keva); blind in one eye; very short-sighted.
ki
(preposition) to, towards (a place, a person); after (time); for, in order to…
kî
to say, to speak; word, language; will, wish (verbally expressed): e-hakarogo koe ki te kî o toou matu'a, obey you father's will.
kia
  1. let's go! (also: matu).
  2. interjection encouraging someone to say more: kia koe ka vânaga-mai, tell me more; kia ki te kî ki a koe, we'll talk another time.
  3. Kia kiva, careful, do keep it secret!
kiakia
  1. suffixed to a verb, expresses an action of long duration : he-ruku ki roto ki te vai, he-hopuhopu kiakia, she dives into the water and bathes at length.
  2. a bird (sea dove, Gigis alba).
kiata
colored earth once used for painting one's body (ochre?).
kiato
the horizontal poles connecting the canoe ( vaka ama) to the outrigger (ama).
ki'ea
red earth rich in hematite (ferrous oxide). It was obtained from a mine on the slope of Poike, and was used to paint one's face.
kíhikíhi
lichen; also: grey, greenish grey, ashen.
kiki
stiff, to stiffen; kíkikíki: convulsions.
kikino
see kino.
kikiri
pebbles; also kirikiri.
kikiu
  1. said of food insufficiently cooked and therefore tough: kai kikiu.
  2. to tie securely; to tighten the knots of a snare: ku-kikiu-á te hereíga, the knot has been tightened.
  3. figuratively: mean, tight, stingy; puoko kikiu. a miser; also: eve kikiu.
  4. to squeak (of rats, chickens).
kiko
  1. meat, flesh: kiko moa, kiko manu, kiko îka, kiko kio'e, flesh of chicken, bird, fish, rat.
  2. (human) body, used in the ancient expression hare kiko pako'o, when speaking of a household (hare) who did not give shelter to a refugee or else surrendered his body to his pursuers.
  3. sterile, barren, unproductive; ku-kiko á te henua nei, this land is barren.
  4. internal fibres of the banana tree or of the totora reed, stuck to the bark, which are use to make braided ropes: kiko maîka, kiko gaatu, mo hiro o te taúra mo te akavega banana and totora fibres for twisting strings for akavega baskets.
kimi
to seek; to investigate.
kino
  1. bad; kikino, very bad, cursed; kona kino, dangerous place.
  2. blemish (on body).
kinoga
badness, evil, wickedness; penis.
kinokino
badly made, crude: ahu kinokino, badly made ahu, with coarse, ill-fitting stones.
kio
  1. defeated; one who has taken refuge in a house or in a cave.
  2. to come out a winner, to win, to be victorious in war, in a quarrel, in a race: ku-kio-á te taûa i a Miru, the war was won by the Miru; ku-kio-á te toru vaka, the third boat won.
kio'e
rat.
kiogo
cave used as hiding place by a party of refugees (possibly a misprint for kioga -- translator's note).
kiokio
to smell of smoke, to smell smoky (of food).
kiri
skin; bark; husk; kiri heuheu, downy skin; kiri mohimohi (also kiri magó), smooth hairless skin.
kirikiri miro
multicoloured.
kiroké, kiroke'a
a seaweed (fleshy, tender, edible).
kitoga
toilet, latrine, defecating ground.
kiukiu
to chirp (of chicks and birds); to make short noises. The first bells brought by the missionaries were given this name.
kiva
  1. to keep a secret (see kia); silent, quiet; e-kiva koe i a au, keep my secret (i.e. do not denounce me, do not divulge what you know about me).
  2. smooth, regular (of things with a smooth surface without wrinkles or asperities).
kivakiva
to be dumbstruck; silent, taciturn, absorbed in thought; he-kivakiva toona re'o. he became silent.