| Definitions | | Aotearoa |
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proper noun (all senses are New Zealand English)
- (obsolete) North Island (of New Zealand).
- New Zealand (country).
Etymology: Maori, long white cloud, from ao, cloud, daytime, world, teaMaori, tea, white, and roa, long, tall; often translated as "the land of the long white cloud". Probably a reference to the appearance of mountainous land when seen on the horizon from a canoe after an ocean voyage. Allegedly the first English language mention was in the February 1916 New Zealand School Journal (King, 2004).
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