Māori
/ˈmaːo.ɾi/noun
The Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, or their language.
Did you know?In Māori, māori originally meant “ordinary” or “normal,” and its use as an ethnonym is a powerful example of a people naming themselves from the idea of being the true, natural ones.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
PPN
*maqoli
“true, genuine, real”
Proto-Eastern Polynesian
PEP
*maoli
“true, genuine, ordinary”
Old Māori / Early Māori
Māori
māori
“ordinary, normal, natural; native, indigenous”
19th Century
English
Māori
“The Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand”
Modern English
English
Māori
“The Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand; the Māori language”