hapu

• hapū

Borrowed from Maori hapū.

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌːpuː/, /ˈhʌpuː/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːpuː/, /ˈhapuː/
• Rhymes: (UK) -ɑːpu

hapu (plural hapus or hapu)

1. (New Zealand) A subtribe of an iwi or Maori tribe; the basic political unit within Māori society; a subtribe or extended family. [from 19th c.]
   • 1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 253:

     “I don't know whose family it belongs in. I made enquiries round all my relations, and most Ngai Tahu hapu.”

   • 2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 67:

     Sometimes such migrations led nascent hapū to districts well away from those of the tribe's previous habitation.

   • 2020, Sujit Sivasundaram, Waves Across the South, William Collins, published 2021, page 68:

     In political terms Māori also organised for war in hapu, groups subordinate to chiefs, fighting as units.

• Hupa, pahu

From Proto-Finnic *hap'oin, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *čappa. Cognates include Finnish hapan and Hungarian savanyú.

hapu (genitive hapu, partitive haput, comparative hapum, superlative kõige hapum)

1. sour
2. (dated) acidic

• hapukas
• hapukurk
• hapnik
• hape

From Proto-Finnic *hap'oin, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *čappa.

hapu (genitive hapnõ or hapna, partitive hapund)

1. sour