whau

English

Etymology

Maori whau

Noun

whau

1. Entelea arborescens, a malvaceous tree endemic to New Zealand.

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fau, from Proto-Oceanic *paʀu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baʀu (Hibiscus tiliaceus, compare with Malay baru and Hawaiian hau referring to that original species).

Noun

whau

1. corkwood, Entelea arborescens
2. five-finger, Pseudopanax arboreus

Synonyms

• (corkwood): houama
• (five-finger): puahou

Derived terms

• Maungawhau
• whaupaku
• whauwhaupaku

 

References

• “whau” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.