ponga

See also: pōnga

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori ponga.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɒŋə/

Noun

ponga (plural pongas)

  1. A medium-sized tree fern endemic to New Zealand, of species Alsophila tricolor (syns .Alsophila dealbata, Cyathea dealbata et al.).
    • 1972, James K. Baxter, ‘He Waiata mo Te Kare’, Selected Poems, Te Herenga Waka University Press 2023, p. 265:
      Hilltop behind hilltop, / A mile of green pungas / In the grey afternoon / Bow their heads to the slanting spears of rain.
    • 2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 232:
      Ponga logs tended to be used vertically for house walls on the mainland and horizontally (a style known as wakawaka) on the Chatham Islands.

Synonyms

Anagrams

Italian

Verb

ponga

  1. inflection of porre:
    1. first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Maori

Noun

ponga

  1. silver fern (Alsophila dealbata)
    Synonym: kaponga

Derived terms

  • heka-ponga
  • whekī ponga

Descendants

  • English: ponga, punga

References

Spanish

Verb

ponga

  1. inflection of poner:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative