māhī

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Maori

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Etymology

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From Proto-Polynesian *masi₁ (product of fermentation) (compare with Tahitian mahi and Samoan masi “paste/meal of fermented breadfruit”)[1][2][3] from Proto-Oceanic *maqasin (salt) (compare with Tongan māsima, Samoan māsima and Fijian masima all “salt”) from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(ma-)qasin (compare with Malay masin (salty) and Tagalog asin (salt)).[1][2] Vowel elongation compared to other neighbouring cognates likely to avoid confusion with mahi (“work”), semantic shift due to absence of breadfruit in New Zealand's temperate climate.[4]

Verb

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māhī

  1. to ferment
    Synonym: moī
  2. to putrefy

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “masi.1”, in POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ross, Malcolm D., Pawley, Andrew, Osmond, Meredith (1998) The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic, volume 1: Material Culture, Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN, pages 158-60
  3. ^ Serra-Mallol, Christophe (2012) Dictionnaire des cultures alimentaires[1], →ISBN, pages 112-4
  4. ^ Furey, Louise (2006) Maori gardening: An archaeological perspective, Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Department of Conservation, →ISBN, page 10

Further reading

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