T

tu
to crush into puree, like women of old did, crushing sweet potatoes and mixing them with cooked egg to give the children.
tu'a
  1. back, shoulder, tu'a ivi, shoulder blade; tu'a ivi more, lumbago; moa tu'a ivi raá, "sun-back chicken": chicken with a yellow back which shines in the sun.
  2. behind (a locative adverb, used with i, ki, a, o, etc).
Tu'a Hotu Iti
Ancient name of the area extending from the north-east to the south-east of the island.
tuahane
brother (also: taína tamâroa).
tuahine
sister (also: taina tamahahine).
tûai
ancient, of ancient times; i te nohoga tûai-era-á, in ancient times; tagata tûai, ancient people, the people of yore.
tuamigo
a fish (women catch them in the sea at night, never during the day).
tu'a-papa
pelvis; hips.
tuere heu
a grass: Agrestis avenacea.
tugu
cough; to cough.
tugutugu
young man, boy; bachelor.
tuha
to distribute the food or the gift given out during a party or an umu papaku. (This is the official role of the motuha).
tuha'a
to reserve a share of the food or the gifts for someone (see tuha above).
tuhi
to point with the forefinger (which is called tuhi henua); to offer something to someone by pointing at it; to denounce someone, to put the blame on someone. tuhi henua. forefinger, index finger.
tuhia háûa
ring finger;
tui
  1. to sew mats, to make strings.
  2. the three stars of Orion's Belt.
tuitui
to string together; to tie together the chickens to be given away at a gogoro moa; tuitui koviro to join hands, forming a circle.
tuke
stem, stalk; vein of dry banana leaf; whole, dry banana leaf with its kaka;
  1. tuke niu, palm leaves.
  2. tuke raá, sun rays, sun beams.
  3. tuke gao, nape of the neck; top of the spine.
tuki
  1. to fecundate with sperm. He-tuki Makemake ki te oone rapo, he-poreko-mai te tagata, Makemake ejaculated into the clay, and man was born.
  2. to fertilize the ground by tilling, ploughing: e-tuki-á au i te henua, I am tilling the ground.
  3. to be shocked, grieved, distressed; used in expressions like e-mamae-nó-á au i te vânaga, he-tuki-no-mai-á i te vânaga i-kî-mai era koe, I am hurt by these words, shocked by what you told me.
tukituki
to paint, to decorate with colored spots or dots; he-tukituki te nua hai pua. to decorate a cape with yellow dots (using the yellow dye extracted from the pua plant).
tuku
  1. to leave something lying spread on the ground; to spread, unfurl, unroll something on the ground; tukuga, mat spread on the ground; tukuga tagata, mat on which have been put pieces of cooked human flesh.
  2. tuku kupega, a fishing technique: two men drag along the top of a fishing net doubled up, spread out on the bottom of a small cove, trapping the fish into the net; tukutuku, to fish while swimming, holding a basket-shaped net.
  3. tuku huri, to sit with one's buttocks resting on one's heels, soles flat on the ground (also: tuku-turi). Figuratively: ka tuku! pay attention! (literally: sit still!).
  4. tuku rîu, to sit in the posture typical of choir singers in rîu festivals or singing festivals in general, which was sitting on one's heels.
tukuga
mat spread on the ground; tukuga tagata, mat on which have been put pieces of cooked human flesh.
tukutuku
to fish while swimming, holding a basket-shaped net (see tuku).
tukuturi
to sit with one's buttocks resting on one's heels, soles flat on the ground (see tuku).
tumu
  1. tree trunk.
  2. ancestors: tumu matu'á, parents; tumu tupuna, grandparents. By extension: tumu taína, members of friendly families.
  3. como término muy especial se usa tumu para se§alar a familias o personas que no son parientes, de modo que sus hijos podían, según antigua usanza, casarse entre ellos y formar un nuevo tronco.
  4. origin of something; initiator of an idea; person who is the cause of a fight: tumu taûa.
  5. He-kore te tumu, to be so weakened that you cannot stand (lit.: the trunk is lacking).
tuna
rolling stone.
tunoko
dislocation, luxation (of the elbow, the ankle, the wrist).
tunu
to heat, to cook; he-tunu i te kai, to cook food; tunu ahi, to roast on a fire.
tupa
ancient buildings found scattered along the coast; made of stone, and almost all of them round, they served as shelters for fishermen.
tupatupa
to carry (someone) on a stretcher; to carry (a load) with the help of several people.
tupu
  1. shoot, sprout, bud; to sprout, to bud.
  2. pregnant: vî'e tupu (o te poki); to be conceived (of fetus in its mother's womb): he-tupu te poki i roto i te kopú o toona matu'a.
tupuaki
near, to draw near. He-tupuaki ki te hare o Hagapoukura, he drew near Hangapoukura's house.
tupuna
grandparent; ancestors.
tureme
a sort of aliment [Spanish: cierta clase de pasto, which may mean pasture or food; the word does not occur in the legends].
turi
knuckle; turi-rima, elbow; turi-va'e ankle (also just turi).
turu
to come down, to go down, to descend; ka-turu-age koe ki tai, go down to the sea now; turuga, coming down, descent.
turuturu
  1. to drip (of water or other liquids).
  2. stick, cane, baton (also: tokotoko).
tuta'e
  1. excrement, dung, filth; kai tuta'e, hens (lit.: filth-eaters).
  2. to disgrace, to seduce (a woman): he-tuta'e i te vî'e.
tute
to chase away; he-tute koe au, I chase you away, i.e. go away! Shortened to: tute-atu!
tutu
  1. circle of fishing nets arranged in the shape of a funnels or baskets.
  2. to light a fire; he-tutu i te ahi: to burn something.
  3. to hit, to strike, to beat.
tûtú
to shake (something) clean of dust or dirt; he-tûtú te oone o te nua, to shake the dirt off a nua cape.
tutuhi
to reject the responsibility for a mistake onto one another, to blame one another for a mistake (see tuhi).
tutuki
to stumble, to trip. O tutuki te va'e, in order not to trip.
tutuma
firebrand, partly burnt stick.
tuturi
to kneel.
tu'u
  1. to arrive: tu'u-mai.
  2. upright pole; to stand upright (also: tutu'u).
  3. to guess correctly, to work out (the meaning of a word) correctly: ku-tu'u-á koe ki te vânaga, you have guessed correctly [the meaning of] the word.
  4. to hit the mark, to connect (a blow).
  5. Ku-tu'u pehé, is considered as…; te poki to'o i te me'e hakarere i roto i te hare, ku-tu'u-á pehé poki ra'ura'u, a child who takes things that have been left in the house is considered as a petty thief.
Tu'u aro
northwest and west side of the island.
tu'u haígoígo
back tattoo.
tu'u haviki
easily angered person.
tuúra
servant of an ariki (king).
tuuria
outer shell of crustaceans and mollusks: tuuria pipi, tuuria mama, tuuria hatuke, tuuria ura.
tu'u-toga
eel-fishing using a line weighted with stones and a hook with bait, so that the line reaches vertically straight to the bottom of the sea.
tu'utu'u
to hit the mark time and again (see tu'u).
tu'utu'u îka
fish fin (except the tail fin, called hiku).
tuví
mark on fishing line to indicate a number of fathoms, made with mahute fibre.