totara

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noun

Podocarpus totara, a podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand.

Similar
Podocarpus totara
OriginMāori tōtara ← Proto-Polynesian *tara ← Proto-Oceanic *tala →
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

nountotara (plural totaras)

plural totaras

  1. Podocarpus totara, a podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand.
  2. Other species of genus Podocarpus.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounvaluable timber tree of New Zealand yielding hard reddish wood used for furniture and bridges and wharves

Similar
Podocarpus totara
Broader
coniferconiferous tree

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Oceanic*tala
  2. Proto-Polynesian*tara“barb, prong”
  3. Māoritōtara
  4. Englishtotara

Borrowed from Māori tōtara, from Proto-Polynesian *tara (“barb, prong”), from Proto-Oceanic *tala, referring to its mature leaves which resemble spines of the spot-fin porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix).

More words from Māori, Proto-Polynesian, Proto-Oceanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

totara. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/totara

MLA

“totara.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/totara. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “totara,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/totara.

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