# totara

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Podocarpus totara, a podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand.
2. Other species of genus Podocarpus.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Māori tōtara, from Proto-Polynesian *tara (“barb, prong”), from Proto-Oceanic *tala, referring to its mature leaves which resemble spines of the spot-fin porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix).

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