rāwhiti
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Maori[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From rā (“sun”) + whiti (“spring up”).
No words for the cardinal directions can be unambiguously reconstructed for Proto-Polynesian, as there would be little use for them on the small Polynesian islands. However, on the much larger North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and South Island (Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand, the usefulness of such terminology led the Māori to coin this word for "east".[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
rāwhiti
- east
- Synonyms: (rare) tamawahine, (obsolete) īta
Coordinate terms[edit]
| tapatapātiu | tokerau, raki | kārapu |
| uru | 
|
rāwhiti |
| uru-mā-tonga | tonga | pitonga |
References[edit]
- ^ Bruce Biggs (1994) “New Words for a New World”, in A. K. Pawley, M. D. Ross, editors, Austronesian Terminologies: Continuity and Change (Pacific Linguistics Series C; 127), Australian National University, , page 26.