Where does “Aotearoa” come from?
Aotearoa comes from Maori Aotearoa, derived from Maori ao, ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Austronesian qalejaw, a word of uncertain meaning.
Ancestry of “Aotearoa”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | Aotearoa | long white cloud; North Island; New Zealand; long... |
| 2 | Maori | ao | daytime; world; cloud |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | qao | cloud |
Words derived from “Aotearoa”