mahi

See also: Mahi and mahí

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori mahi.

Noun

mahi (uncountable)

1. (New Zealand) the work required to complete a task
   • 2021 December 2, “Unvaccinated private boat owners a risk to Aotea's community - iwi”, in Radio NZ‎^[2]:

     It's^[sic] spokesperson Leonie Howie did not want to be interviewed but said they "will do the mahi" when it comes to trying to both encourage vaccinations as well as managing any health risks to the community when visitors arrive.

Usage notes

Often found in the phrase do the mahi.

See also

• mahi-mahi

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mafi (“strong, powerful, energetic, hardworking”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.hi/, [ˈmɐ.hi]

Verb

mahi

1. to cultivate, to farm

Derived terms

• mahiʻai (“farmer”)

Noun

mahi

1. farm, plantation

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mafi (“strong, powerful, energetic, hardworking”).

Verb

mahi (passive mahia or mahingia)

1. to work, do, perform, make, accomplish, practise, raise (money)

Noun

mahi

1. work, job, employment, trade (work), practice, occupation, activity, exercise, operation, function
2. abundance, lots of, many, heaps of

Derived terms

• āhua ā-mahi (“technique”)
• akoranga mahi ā-rehe (“trade training”)
• he mahi pai noa iho (“easy as, it was no problem, it is no problem, it will be no problem, it's a piece of cake”)
• hei mahi (“exercise”)
• hunga kore mahi (“unemployed people, jobless people, unemployed”)
• hunga mahi (“labour force”)
• ka mahi (“well done, great, outstanding”)
• kaiwhakawhiwhi mahi (“employer”)
• mahi ā-rehe (“trade, craft”)
• mahi ā-ringa (“handicraft, craft”)
• mahi ā-rōpū (“to work in a group; group work”)
• mahi atu (“forget it, get on and do it then, go on then do it, get lost”)
• mahi haumi (“investment”)
• mahi hoahoa kāri putiputi (“landscape gardening”)
• mahi hoahoa whare (“architecture”)
• mahi huna (“to snoop, pry, spy, secretive activity”)
• mahi kai parāoa (“everyday activity, easy task”)
• mahi kōhikohiko (“casual work”)
• mahi manu (“to hunt for birds; fowling”)
• mahi māra (“to garden; gardening”)
• mahi pāpāho (“media studies”)
• mahi rata (“medicine (profession)”)
• mahi tahi (“to work together, collaborate, cooperate; working together, collaboration, cooperation, teamwork”)
• mahi tīpako (“shift work”)
• mahi toi (“art, craft”)
• mahi tūwaenga (“fieldwork”)
• mahi uku (“to make pottery”)
• mahi waimori (“to work in a casual job, do casual work; casual job, casual work, casual labour”)
• mahi whakaito (“sexual harassment”)
• mahi whika (“arithmetic”)
• mira mahi puehu parāoa (“flour mill”)
• paearu mahi (“performance criteria, performance criterion”)
• papa mahi (“desktop”)
• rā mahi (“working day”)
• tauira mahi (“apprentice, cadet, trainee”)
• taupuni mahi (“workstation, studio”)
• taupuni mahi toi (“art studio”)
• te mahi a te (“abundance of, lots of, many, heaps of, in droves”)
• Te Tari Mahi (“Department of Labour”)
• tohunga mahi toi (“artist, artist in residence”)
• tuari mahi kawhe (“barista”)
• wāhi mahi (“workplace, work address”)
• ngā mahi a te rēhia (“pursuit of pleasure, recreational activities, entertainment”)
• ngā mahi a te whare pora (“art of weaving”)
• whakaōrite whiwhinga mahi (“equal employment opportunity”)

 

Descendants

• → English: mahi

Tahitian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *masi₁ (compare with Maori māhī (“to ferment”) and Samoan masi) 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”)).

Noun

mahi

1. a meal of fermented ripe breadfruit

Further reading

• Yves Lemaître, Lexique du tahitien contemporain (Current Tahitian lexicon), 1995.
• “mahi” in Dictionnaire en ligne Tahitien/Français (Online Tahitian–French Dictionary), by the Tahitian Academy.