tuakana

T1U1A1K5A1N1A1

noun

In Maori contexts, the elder brother of a male or the elder sister of a female; also, a same-sex cousin of a more senior branch of the family; (loosely), a mentor.

OriginMāori tuakana →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 11
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nountuakana (plural tuakanas or tuakana)

plural tuakanas

  1. New ZealandIn Maori contexts, the elder brother of a male or the elder sister of a female; also, a same-sex cousin of a more senior branch of the family; (loosely), a mentor.First known use 19th c.

    Among those who followed were, as might have been expected, Tāmati Wāka Nene and his older brother and tuakana, Patuone.

    2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 152

Origin

  1. Māorituakana
  2. Englishtuakana

Borrowed from Māori tuakana.

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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