Meanings
- New ZealandWitchcraft, black magic; a spell or curse.First known use 19th c.
In some instances Māori were ‘Christian’ in some contexts – a wedding or a church service, say – and ‘Māori’ in others, such as combating mākutu or performing rituals prior to planting crops or felling trees.
2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 240Synonyms: black art, witchery, incantation, spell, bewitchery, black arts, charmwork, conjuration
Synonyms & antonyms
nounWitchcraft, black magic; a spell or curse.
Origin
- Māorimākutu
- Māorimākutu
- Englishmakutu
Borrowed from Māori mākutu.
More words from Māori
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
makutu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/makutu
“makutu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/makutu. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “makutu,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/makutu.
Source: makutu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.