kahikatea
kahikatea Lexical Profile
kahikatea Game Scores & Validity
• noun
New Zealand A tall, slow-growing coniferous podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand, typically found in lowland swampy forests and noted for its straight trunk and lack of odor.
"The ancient wetland was dominated by a dense stand of towering kahikatea whose roots intertwined in the swampy soil."
New Zealand The pale, relatively soft, and odorless timber of the kahikatea tree, historically highly valued for making food containers and butter boxes.
"Because the wood did not taint the butter with any unwanted flavors, vast quantities of kahikatea were logged for the dairy export industry during the late nineteenth century."
Word Nuance & Usage
In standard New Zealand English, Māori loanwords like 'kahikatea' generally remain uninflected in the plural form, though 'kahikateas' is occasionally seen in older texts.
• Rhymes for kahikatea
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed directly from Māori 'kahikatea'.