Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

marae

/məˈɹaɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.85 in modern English

Syllables: marae
IPA: /məˈɹaɪ/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The courtyard of a Maori wharenui or meeting-house, seen as a cultural and spiritual focal point.

New Zealand usage

noun

The buildings and people around it; a spiritual or cultural centre.

noun

A Polynesian sacred altar or enclosure.

Dated

Example Sentences

"The path ended down by the sea at a crumbling ‘ingot’ of black coral, twenty yards in length & in height two men. ‘A marae, this is called,’ Mr Wagstaff informed me. ‘All over the South Seas you see ’em, I’m told.’"

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori marae and Tahitian marae, from Proto-Oceanic *malaqe.

Word Breakdown

Root: marae, *malaqe

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Places.

Inflected Forms

maraes (plural) marai (alternative) morai (alternative)

Rhymes With

by my why high on high try guy buy little guy why oh why july die

Questions

How do you pronounce marae?: The recorded pronunciation is /məˈɹaɪ/.
What does marae mean?: The courtyard of a Maori wharenui or meeting-house, seen as a cultural and spiritual focal point.
Where does marae come from?: Borrowed from Māori marae and Tahitian marae, from Proto-Oceanic *malaqe.

How to pronounce marae

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “marae”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈɹaɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “marae”.
Repeat and practice — Say “marae” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.