Matariki

M3A1T1A1R1I1K5I1

proper noun

The season, in late May or early June, when the Pleiades star cluster first rises, treated as the beginning of the new year by the Maori.

OriginMāori Matariki ← Proto-Eastern Polynesian *mataliki →
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The season, in late May or early June, when the Pleiades star cluster first rises, treated as the beginning of the new year by the Maori.

Origin

  1. Proto-Eastern Polynesian*mataliki
  2. MāoriMatariki
  3. EnglishMatariki

Borrowed from Māori Matariki, from Proto-Eastern Polynesian Proto-Eastern Polynesian *mataliki, from Proto-Eastern Oceanic Proto-Eastern Polynesian *mataliki. One Maori folk etymology claims it represents ngā + mata + o + te + ariki + o + Tāwhirimātea, meaning "the eyes of the [wind] god Tāwhirimātea". In Māori legend, the Pleiades star cluster which it is named after was from Tāwhirimātea's plucked eyes. Cognate with Hawaiian makahiki.

More words from Māori, Proto-Eastern Polynesian

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Matariki. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Matariki

MLA

“Matariki.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Matariki. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Matariki,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Matariki.

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