marae

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marae

/məˈɹaɪ/

Rhymes with -aɪ

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Māori marae and Tahitian marae, from Proto-Oceanic *malaqe.

noun maraes · marai · morai

New Zealand The courtyard of a Maori wharenui or meeting-house, seen as a cultural and spiritual focal point.
broadly The buildings and people around it; a spiritual or cultural centre.
dated A Polynesian sacred altar or enclosure. The path ended down by the sea at a crumbling ‘ingot’ of black coral, twenty yards in length & in height two men. ‘A marae, this is called,’ Mr Wagstaff informed me. ‘All over the South Seas you see ’em, I’m told.’

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MLA

"marae." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/marae. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

marae. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/marae

Chicago

"marae." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/marae.

BibTeX

@misc{marae_2026,
  title = {marae},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/marae},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}