whetū

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fetuqu (cognate with Hawaiian hōkū and Tahitian fetū), from Proto-Oceanic *pituqun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bituqən, from Proto-Austronesian *bituqən (cognate with Tagalog bituin).

Noun

whetū

1. star (luminous celestial body)

References

• “whetū” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
• Tregear, Edward (1891) Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary‎^[1], Wellington, New Zealand: Lyon and Blair, page 623