kauri

plural kauris

1. New ZealandcountableuncountableA conifer of the genus Agathis, found in Australasia and Melanesia, especially Agathis australis.First known use 19th c.

   He had already kicked one panel of the stout door clean out. It was inch-thick kauri timber.

   1963, Ronald Hugh Morrieson, The Scarecrow, Text Classics, published 2012, page 226

   2 more examples

   There is an ancient legend that if the kauris disappear from New Zealand, the Maoris will also disappear.

   1956, Frank Clune, Roaming round New Zealand: the story of a holiday trip

   Constructed from the native timbers rimu, kauri, or matai, the interior has been refurbished in sympathy with the era of the home.

   2008, “The Peppertree”, in Friars Guide to New Zealand Accommodation for the Discerning Traveller 2009, Auckland: Hodder Moa, page 150

2. countableuncountableThe wood of the kauri tree.

   New Zealand kauri is employed, principally for planking and decking

   1926, The Timberman, volume 28, page 38

3. countableuncountableA resinous product of the kauri tree, found in the form of yellow or brown lumps in the ground where the trees have grown. It is used for making varnish, and as a substitute for amber.

plural kauris

1. alternativeAlternative form of cowrie.