P

pe
  1. (also: pa) like, as, similar to; he-mana'u Makemake mo aga i te tagata mo tu'u pe îa, Makemake thought about creating man in his own image (lit.: similar to him); requires the use of the article he when not followed by a pronoun: pehe me'e ena, for instance, suppose for instance that…; pehe me'e ena, he-moe ki te tagata e-tahi, suppose for instance that you get married. Pehé? how? Pehé koe? how are you? Pehé rá? how is that, how can it be? Pehé-peira, likewise, in the same manner; penei, pená, peira, thus; pemu'a, henceforth, in future;
  2. towards, in the direction of: pe Vaihú, towards Vaihu.
pea, peapea
to go away with bits of food or mud sticking to one's face or garments.
pe'epe'e
to feel exhausted, worn out, ill-treated.
pegopego
thick (of garments); to wrap oneself up in thick clothing; kahu pegopego, thick clothing.
pehiva
to leave the coast, out at sea: ku-pehivá, it is already way from the coast.
pehiva-á
interjection: if only, would to God, I wish that…: pehivá-á koe ana-oho-ró ki Tahiti, if only you could go to Tahiti!
pei
grooves, still visible on the steep slopes of some hills, anciently used as toboggans. People used to slide down them seated on banana-tree barks. This pastime, very popular, was called pei-âmo.
pe'i
a fish.
pekapeka
starfish.
peke
  1. to bite (of fish or lobster pecking at fishhook).
  2. to repeat an action: he-peke te rua; ina ekó peke-hakaou te rua don't you do it a second time; ina ekó peke hakaou-mai te rua ara, don't come back here again.
penapena
to arrange the firewood for the fire to catch when preparing to cook in the earth oven.
pene, peneharatua
belt.
pepa, peparere
butterfly.
pepe
seat.
pepeke
  1. to be chilled to the bone; he-pepeke i te takeo; to catch a cold.
  2. to grow stunted (of plants), to wither because of cold weather: he-pepeke te kumara i te toga, [the leaves of] the sweet potato wither in winter.
  3. person unworthy of trust, for being a liar and a petty thief: he-pepeke, me'e reoreo; he-pepeke me'e ra'ura'u.
pera
cemetary, taboo precinct.
pere
in singing festivals such as the êi, the line formed by the male singers, behind the seated women.
pia
  1. a plant, resembling pua, but with white tubers (pua is yellow).
  2. a banana, also formerly called maîka pia.
piere
thousand; ka-piere, ka-piere, thousands and thousands (meaning: many, lots and lots).
pige'i
chicken tail feathers; the longer ones are called vaero, the shorter pige'i.
pigoa
small cave, rat hole: pigoa kio'e.
pihi
time period (10 years according to some informants); to expire, to end (of a period of time); ku-pihi-á te ta'u, the year has ended.
pikea
crab; some varieties are tutu au, tura moa, vitiviti, paki-maroa.
piki
  1. to climb a steep slope.
  2. to contaminate, to infect, to pass on (a disease); e-ûi koe o piki-mai. be careful not to get infected.
pikipiki
frizzy, curly; puoko pikipiki (more correctly: rauoho pikipiki), curly, frizzy hair.
piko
  1. to twist (vi); twisted, bent. haga piko, bend formed by part of the coast.
  2. to hide (vi); hidden; kahi piko, tuna fish meant as a gift for someone, and which is kept hidden away from others. See na'a to hide (vt).
  3. slip knot (used with fishing lines).
pikona
hiding place (possibly a misprint for pikoga).
pikopoko'o
traitor; person who hands over (poko'o) to the enemy someone who has gone in hiding (piko), taking asylum in his house or in his cave.
pini
nook, corner of a house, of a cave, etc.
pinipini, pipini
to become crumpled, wrinkled (of garments).
pi'opi'o
sweet juice of banana flowers.
pipi
  1. bud, sprout; to bud, to sprout; ku-pipi-á te tumu miro tahiti, the trunk of the miro tahiti has sprouted.
  2. a small shellfish, common on the coast.
pipihoreko
cairn, milestone.
pípipípi
mix of dark and white spots; moa pípipípi, chicken with multicoloured spots.
pipi vare
a slug.
piri
  1. to join (vi, vt); to meet someone on the road; piriga, meeting, gathering.
  2. to choke: he-piri te gao.
  3. ka-piri, ka piri, exclamation: "So many!" Ka-piri, kapiri te pipi, so many shellfish! Also used to welcome visitors: ka-piri, ka-piri!
  4. ai-ka-piri ta'a me'e ma'a, expression used to someone from whom one hopes to receive some news, like saying "let's hear what news you bring."
  5. kai piri, kai piri, exclamation expressing: "such a thing had never happened to me before". Kai piri, kai piri, ia anirá i-piri-mai-ai te me'e rakerake, such a bad thing had never happened to me before!
piripiri
a slug found on the coast, blackish, which secretes a sticky liquid.
piriu
a tattoo made on the back of the hand.
piro
  1. stench, smell of putrefaction.
  2. pus; to suppurate: he-piro te harakea, the boil is suppurating.
pitipiti
weak (of knees): ku-pitipiti-á te turi o te korohua.
pito
  1. umbilical cord; navel; centre of something: te pito o te henua, centre of the world. Ana poreko te poki, ina ekó rivariva mo uru ki roto ki te hare o here'u i te poki; e-nanagi te pito o te poki, ai ka-rivariva mo uru ki roto ki te hare, when a child is born one must not enter the house immediately, for fear of injuring the child (that is, by breaking the taboo on a house where birth takes place); only after the umbilical cord has been severed can one enter the house.
  2. also something used for doing one's buttons up (buttonhole?).
po
  1. night; to get dark, to fall (of night): he-po, it is getting dark. Formerly used, with or without raá, in the meaning of a whole day: po tahi, one day; katahi te kauatu marima po, fifteen days; po tahi raá, first day of the week; po rua raá, po toru raá, second, third day, etc.
  2. alone or aspo nui , used to express the idea of good luck, happiness. He-avai-atu au to'ou po, I wish you good luck (when taking leave of someone). Very common was this parting formula: aná po noho ki a koe! good luck to you!
po-á
morning; i te po-á, in the morning; i te po-era-á, very early in the morning.
poá
  1. to touch (hai rima, hai va'e, with the hands, with the feet).
  2. to tie a boat.
po-ará
quickly, rapidly, swiftly: he-iri po-ará, go up quick; he-ta'o itau umu era po-ará, he cooked it quickly.
po-e-mahina
formerly used of sleep-walkers (haha a po).
poepoe
flat-bottomed boat; poepoe hiku reoreo, boat with flat (snub-nosed) poop and prow.
poga
nose (also: ihu).
pogeha
noise, racket, hubbub; to make a noise, a racket. ina koe ekó pogeha-mai, don't break my ears; tariga pogeha, deaf person (also tariga po).
poha
the four feathers which chickens and other birds have in the extremity of the forearm of their wings (pinions?).
pohahá
  1. dark; dark night; figuratively: forgotten; ka-hakarere te me'e nei a te kona pohahá. forget this, do not mention it again (lit: abandon this in a forgotten place).
  2. te pohahá o te mata, shortsightedness, myopia.
pohi
to shout, to challenge, to threaten; ka-pohi ki te ga poki, ina ekó pogeha, tell the children not to make a noise.
pohutu
  1. dirty, filthy: pohutu-á te kahu o te poki rava kori i te oone, the clothes of a child who always plays on the ground are dirty.
  2. larva of dragonfly, also called pohutu tere vai magaro (because it swims in freshwater). Certain small stone figurines were also called pohutu.
poíhoího
prow of boat.
poki
son, daughter; in wider sense: nephew, niece, child in general. Poki atariki, eldest child, first-born; poki hagupotu, youngest child; poki hâgai, adopted child.
pokino
place of squalor, of extreme poverty, of darkness.
poko
  1. fragrant; to smell, to give off a smell: he-poko te eo, it gives off a pleasant smell.
  2. to hunt, to catch with a trap, to snare. He-kî e Tori: maaku-á e-ea ki te manu, e-poko i te po i ruga i te opata. Tori said: I shall go and catch birds at night, up on the cliff.
  3. thunder (also hatutiri).
poko, pokopoko
hollow, hole, depression, any deep, concave object; to leave in a hole, in a depression.
pokoga
chasm; summit.
pokohata
female rat: kio'e pokohata.
poko'o
to hand over (in war times) a refugee to the enemy (also pako'o).
pokopoko
woman bent under the weight of her years: vî'e pokopoko.
pona
to tie fishing nets in a circle (called tutu kupega).
po'oi
to raise chickens; vî'e po'oi. woman dedicated to chicken-raising.
po'opo'o
a fish (according to some: Trachurus symmetricus).
po-ora
snack eaten at night (sometimes during the day) outside normal eating hours.
popo
  1. to put something into something else, for instance, stones in a boat before going fishing.
  2. to enter, to go in; he-popo-mai kiroto ki te hare, he enters the house.
  3. bundle, bag made of leaves; to make a bundle, a parcel, to leave something in a bundle, a parcel.
pôpo
ball; to make small balls: kete pôpó ki'ea, small basket with balls of coloured earth.
popohaga
to dawn; he-popohaga, dawn breaks (one does not say: i te popohaga, but: i te po-á).
poporo
a plant (Solanum forsteri); poporo haha, a sort of golden thistle.
pora
  1. buoy made of totora reeds formerly used to swim to Motu nui.
  2. large basket for keeping things: he-to'o i te pora kai kiroto ki te ana, he took a basket of food to the cave.
poreko
to be born; to give birth;
porekoga
birth, parturition.
poremo
  1. to rub out, to erase; to become erased, to be rubbed out; poremo-á te ki'ea i te úa, the ki'ea powder has been rubbed out by the rain.
  2. to be hungry; poremo-á te tagata hai kai mo kai, the man feels hungry for food.
poriko
liar, cheat; to trick, to deceive.
poro, poroporo
to chip (vt), to nick, to notch; chips, nicks, dents, splits, gaps, breaks; hoe poro, broken knife, with nicks; poroporo, blunt; poroporo hata, nicks or notches on the edge of something.
pororeko
to slip; slippery.
porou
special gift. According to ancient custom, a gift of very special meaning made by grandchildren to their grandparents, by nephews and nieces to their aunts and uncles, by sons and daughters-in-law to their parents-in-law, sometimes when they are still living, sometimes on the day of their death, in which case the gift is deposited on the corpse. This gift is always accompanied by the express declaration that it is meant as a "porou," and not a mere gift, and is a sign of gratitude, of union between giver and recipient, and a token of perpetual memory. Those who receive a "porou" do not keep it for themselves, but give it to close relatives, parents, spouses, sibling; a woman gives it to her husband or his close relatives, a man to his wife or her close relatives.
potahi
to get erased, rubbed out, to run off, said of the coloured earth (ki'ea) anciently used to powder or paint oneself: ku-potahi-á te ki'ea i te rima (i te ûa, i te paahia). the ki'ea was rubbed off by hand (ran off in the rain, in perspiration).
poto, potopoto
short; ara poto, shortcut; he-poto te hagu, short breath, to have difficulty breathing.
potu
small stick (toothpick?); extremity or remainder of something.
pou
  1. post, vertical stake of wood or stone, coastal landmark, for instance a high rock used for orientation (in front; one by the side is called tapa atua).
  2. Te pou, Sirius (in the constellation of Canis Major).
  3. chickens' middle toe.
poukura
chickens' short, multicoloured feathers.
pouo
anciently, a hat made of totora reeds.
poúrí
see pohahá.
  1. to come forward to greet someone met on the road; to walk in front, to go in front: ka-pú a mu'a, let them go first.
  2. pú a mu'a, to intervene, to come to someone's rescue; he-pú-mai a mu'a, he-moaha, he came to my rescue and saved my life.
  3. ancient expression: ai ka-pú, ai ka-pú, tell us frankly what you think.
  4. hole, opening, orifice; well; circumference, rotundity; swirling water; pú-haga, vaginal orifice; pú-henua (also just henua), placenta. He pú henua nó te me'e aau, he-oti-á; ina-á me'e ma'u o te rima i-topa-ai koe, a placenta was all you had, it is a past thing now; you held nothing in your hands when you were born (stern words said to children to make them realize that they must not be demanding, since they were born naked and without possessions).
  5. to dig out (tubers): he-pú i te uhi, to dig out yams.
pua
  1. a zingiberacea (plant of which few specimens are left on the island).
  2. flower: pua ti, ti flower pua taro, taro flower pua maúku pasture flower; pua nakonako, a plant which grows on steep slopes and produce red, edible berries.
  3. pua tariga (or perhaps pu'a tariga), anciently, hoops put in earlobes.
  4. the nanue fish when young and tender.
pu'a
  1. (modern form of pu'o), to cover up something or oneself, to put on; ka-pu'a te ha'u, put on your hat; ka-pu'a-mai te nua, cover me up with a blanket.
  2. to respond to the song of the first group of singers; to sing the antistrophe; he-pu'a te tai.
  3. to help; ka-pu'a toou rima ki a Timo ite aga, help Timothy with the work.
  4. pu'a-hare, to help a relative in war or in any need; ka-oho, ka-pu'a-hare korua, ko ga kope, go, give you relative a hand, lads.
  5. to speak out in someone's favour; e pu'a-mai toou re'o kia au, speak in my favour, intercede for me.
puapua
summit, top, upper part; te puapua o te maúga, the top of the mountain; te puapua kupega, the upper part of a fishing net.
pu'apu'a
to hit, to beat.
puaka
cow, bull, bovine (modern word).
puepue
said of a newborn baby when, a few weeks old, it begins to distinguish people and objects: ku-puepue-á te poki.
puga
a coral.
puga, pugapuga
grown, mature but not yet ripe; fat, full, chubby; ariga pugapuga. full, chubby face; maîka puga, fully developed banana, but not yet ripe (ku-oko-á te maîka); ragi pugapuga, bulky clouds, cumulus.
pugaehu
covered in dust; dust in the air.
puhapuha
  1. to rise (of the sea, flooding the land).
  2. to grow fat (of animals).
puhi
  1. to blow; to light a fire; to extinguish, to blow out; he-puhi te umu, to light the fire for the earth oven.
  2. to fish for lobsters at night using a bait (but during the day one calls it ); puhiga, night fishing spot.
puhia
(also kopuhia), to fly about, like ashes in the wind.
puhiga Orogo
southeast wind which blows from Orongo.
pukao
bun, topknot, the hair itself done in a bun.
puke
  1. to earth or bank up: puke i te oone; he puke i te uhi , to earth up the yams.
  2. to pile up, heap up stones or other objects
  3. anciently an artificial hillock for children to race around: te puke mimiro.
pukou
  1. to rise up (of a smell).
  2. to escape (of a fugitive); he-pukou, he-tere, he escapes, he runs away.
puku
  1. to feel an urge to defecate or to urinate, etc.: ku-puku-á te mimi: to need to urinate.
  2. rock, boulder: puku ma'ea; puku oone, hillock, earth mound;
  3. puku tagata, pubis.
puku-ine
to get stuck in the oesophagus (of food).
pukupuku
joints, bones of a joint; pukupuku rima, wrist bones; pukupuku va'e, ankle.
pukuraga
followers, disciples, students.
puna
water hole, well (natural or artificial).
puneki
  1. running knot, slipknot.
  2. to escape, to slip out of (said of a chicken out of the the coop, of a prisoner out of his prison).
  3. to break out (of boils): he-puneki te harakea.
  4. to form, to break out (of bruises from blows) he-puneki te uri o te hakari (body bruises), te uri o te mata (black eye).
punene
full to the brim.
puni, punipuni
to become blunt; toki puni, blunt axe.
punua
of hens, to peck at the eggs to help the chicks break free; manu punua, newly hatched bird.
pu'o
(also pu'a); pu'o nua, one who covers himself with a nua (blanket), that is to say, a human being.
pu-ohirohiro
waterspout.
puoko
  1. head; tagata puoko hiohio, hard-headed, opinionated person.
  2. skull (also: pakahera puoko).
pupa
  1. nest.
  2. to be chilled to the marrow: he-pupa i te takeo.
pupuhi
cheek.
pupupa
line from which hangs the kupega ature, a round or oval fishing net.
pupura
the part of the sugarcane or of the ti plant which is cut off and planted again: pupura tôa, pupura ti.
pupura rautoa
saltwater millipede.
pupure
freckle; freckles (also: guregure).
pura
to turn white; glow, brilliance; he-pura te mata, the eyes twinkle (said of someone who looks at something with great interest).
pura pura
descendent; koau he purapura o Miru, I am a descendent of the Miru tribe.
pure
cowrie (Cypraea caput draconis); pure vaka , another type of cowrie, which can float on the sea like a diminutive boat (vaka).
pu-reirei-hua
to touch one's penis with intention to masturbate.
pureva
rock, stone (small enough to be thrown by hand).
purína
a plant (verbenacea).
puru
to lock up (a person or an animal); to protect oneself with a shield: he-puru hai papae; to protect one's eyes with a sort of goggles: puru mata (when diving for fish).
putití
  1. to blister (of the skin, from burns) ku-putití-á te kiri i te ahi.
  2. wind, flatulence; he-putiti te eve , to fart.
putu, putuputu
of plants, to grow thickly, very close together, with hardly any space in between.