Standard Lemma guide

hei-tiki

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • New-Zealand: /ˌhæeˈtiki/
  • UK: /ˌheɪˈtɪki/

1

noun

Meaning 1

An ornamental pendant (typically made of pounamu or greenstone) among the Māori, worn around the neck, representing a human figure traditionally connected with Tiki, the first human in Maori mythology.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: New-Zealand

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori heitiki, from hei (“to tie around the neck; scarf, pendant”) + tiki (“carving of a human figure”).