Etymology

hei-tiki

Today it means: An ornamental pendant (typically made of pounamu or greenstone) among the Māori, worn around the neck, representing a human figure traditionally connected with Tiki, the first human in Maori mythology. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Māori heitiki
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The story

  1. Māori · borrowed fromheitiki
  2. English todayhei-tiki

Borrowed from Māori heitiki, from hei (“to tie around the neck; scarf, pendant”) + tiki (“carving of a human figure”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. An ornamental pendant (typically made of pounamu or greenstone) among the Māori, worn around the neck, representing a human figure traditionally connected with Tiki, the first human in Maori mythology.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.