poi
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Noun edit
poi (uncountable)
- (Hawaii) The traditional staple food of Hawaii, made by baking and pounding the kalo (or taro) root, and reducing it to a thin paste, which is allowed to ferment. [from 18th c.]
- 2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 104:
- It was a far cry from the traditional Hawaiian feast, which always included the beloved poi, a purplish paste made from pounded taro root […] .
- A creamy Samoan dessert of ripe bananas mashed with coconut cream.
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
poi (plural poi or pois)
- (New Zealand) A small ball made of leaves and fibres, attached to a string. [from 19th c.]
- 2008, Ellen Koskoff, “Haka poi”, in The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Routledge, →ISBN, page 738:
- Warriors formerly used poi actions to maintain wrist flexibility, but poi have developed as a women's dance. Classic poi dances and songs are reputed to have been those of the people of the Taranaki, Rotorua, and Whanganui tribal areas, but poi are now performed everywhere in Aotearoa.
- 2013, Catriona Rainsford, The Urban Circus: Travels with Mexico's Malabaristas, Bradt Travel Guides, →ISBN, page 18:
- A couple of days later Trico announced that, if I were to travel with them, it was imperative that I learn some form of malabares, or circus skill. The available options were poi, staff or juggling. ‘Poi’, the form of malabares that Sandra played, are two balls at the end of chains which are spun in patterns around the body. When the balls are replaced by wicks soaked in gasoline and set alight, the poi ‘spin fire’.
- (New Zealand) A traditional dance performed by Maori women involving the rhythmic swinging of such a ball. [from 19th c.]
Further reading edit
- poi (food) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- poi (performance art) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams edit
Guaraní edit
Verb edit
poi
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of poi
Hawaiian edit
Etymology edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun edit
poi
Italian edit
Etymology edit
From Vulgar Latin *pos, from Classical Latin post.[1] Compare Portuguese pois, Spanish pues, French puis, and Romanian apoi / Romanian poi (archaic păi).
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
poi
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Related terms edit
Noun edit
il poi m (invariable)
- the future
References edit
Anagrams edit
Japanese edit
Romanization edit
poi
Jingpho edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Burmese ပွဲ (pwai:).
Noun edit
poi
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Old French edit
Etymology edit
Adjective edit
poi m or f (invariable)
Adverb edit
poi
Pronoun edit
poi
Descendants edit
- French: peu
Polish edit
Pronunciation edit
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poi
Romanian edit
Adverb edit
poi
- Alternative form of apoi
Samoan edit
Noun edit
poi
- Samoan poi
Sukurum edit
Noun edit
poi
References edit
- Susanne Holzknecht, The Markham languages of Papua New Guinea (1989), page 71