kawanatanga

K5A1W4A1N1A1T1A1N1G2A1

noun

governance; governorship

OriginMāori kāwanatanga ← English governor →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounkawanatanga (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegovernance; governorship

    Kawanatanga (from 'kawana', an adaptation of 'governor') literally means 'governance' or 'governorship'; it does not convey the many facets of sovereign power and authority.

    2004, C. Orange, An Illustrated history of the Treaty of Waitangi

Origin

  1. Englishgovernor
  2. Māorikāwanatanga
  3. Englishkawanatanga

Borrowed from Māori kāwanatanga; the first part of the word is a borrowed form of English governor.

More words from Māori, English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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