mātua
See also: matua, matuā, mātuā, and matu'a
Hawaiian
Noun
mātua
- Niʻihau form of mākua (“parents”)
- Ua hele na mātua i ta hale.
- The parents went to the house.
Usage notes
In Niihau, diacritics are omitted. The usual spelling is matua, not to be confused with matua.
Maori
Noun
mātua
- plural of matua
Tokelauan
Etymology
From Proto-Polynesian *matuqa (“parent”). Cognates include Hawaiian makua and Samoan matuā.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmaː.tu.a/
- Hyphenation: mā‧tu‧a
Noun
mātua
- mother
- aunt
- (in the plural) parents
References
- R. Simona, editor (1986) Tokelau Dictionary, Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 231