poi
poi Lexical Profile
poi Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A traditional Hawaiian staple food made by baking and pounding the corm of the taro plant into a smooth, starchy paste, which is often allowed to ferment.
"At the traditional luau, the roasted kalua pork was served alongside a wooden bowl of thick, purple poi."
New Zealand A performance art originating from the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand that involves swinging tethered weights in rhythmic, geometric patterns, or the weighted balls used as props in this activity.
"The festival featured skilled artists spinning fire poi, creating mesmerizing trails of light in the night sky."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word represents two entirely distinct cultural concepts with different Polynesian origins: an uncountable noun for a Hawaiian taro dish, and a countable noun for a Māori performance prop.
• Rhymes for poi
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from two distinct Polynesian sources: the Hawaiian food sense comes from Hawaiian 'poi' (mashed taro), tracing to Proto-Polynesian '*poki' (to knead). The performance art sense comes from Māori 'poi' (ball).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.