# Matariki

> English word · Proper noun

## Definitions
1. The season, in late May or early June, when the Pleiades star cluster first rises, treated as the beginning of the new year by the Maori.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Māori Matariki, in turn derived from Proto-Eastern Polynesian *matafiti, Proto-Eastern Polynesian *matasiti
One Maori folk etymology claims it represents ngā + mata + o + te + ariki + o + Tāwhirimātea, meaning "the eyes of the [wind] god Tāwhirimātea". In Māori legend, the Pleiades star cluster which it is named after was from Tāwhirimātea's plucked eyes.
Cognate with Hawaiian makahiki.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/matariki