Kingitanga

K5I1N1G2I1T1A1N1G2A1

proper noun

A movement among certain Māori tribes in the 1850s, aiming to establish a status similar to monarch so as to halt the alienation of Māori land.

OriginMāori kīngitanga →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalA movement among certain Māori tribes in the 1850s, aiming to establish a status similar to monarch so as to halt the alienation of Māori land.

Origin

  1. Māorikīngitanga“sovereignty”
  2. EnglishKingitanga

Borrowed from Māori kīngitanga (“sovereignty”), from kīngi (“to reign”) + -tanga (abstract nominal suffix).

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Kagitingangaintaking
Cite this entry
APA

Kingitanga. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kingitanga

MLA

“Kingitanga.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kingitanga. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kingitanga,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kingitanga.

Source: Kingitanga on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.