'Chur’ and 36 te reo Māori words have officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
The legitimate definition of ‘chur’ has been decided: “used to express good wishes on meeting or departing, or to express thanks, approval, etc.: ‘cheers!’,” the dictionary entry reads. Can’t lie, that’s pretty bang on.
Oxford is also recognising Te Reo, adding 36 words from the language (47 words in total they attribute to New Zealand origin).
The Te Reo words Oxford added are:
āe (“used to indicate assent: ‘yes'.")
e hoa ("As a form of address: friend, mate.")
e hoa ma (“As a form of address to a group of people: friends, mates.”)
iwi (“An extended Māori kinship group or community, sharing distant common ancestors.")
kaitiaki ("a guardian or steward, esp. of the natural resources of an environment or place.")
kaumātua ("a senior member of the community, an elder. More generally: any older person, a senior citizen.”)
kaupapa ("a principle or policy; the philosophy of a person, group, or organization.")
kēhua (“The spirit of a dead person; a ghost.”)
koha (“A gift; an offering, donation, or contribution.”)
kōrero (" to talk; to speak; to hold a discussion")
kuia ("an elderly woman, esp. one who is regarded as a senior member of a family or community.")
maunga ("a mountain, esp. viewed as a site of cultural and spiritual significance.”)
moko kauae (“A traditional Māori chin tattoo worn by women as a symbol of rank and status.")
Pai Mārire (“A 19th century Māori religious movement incorporating Christian and Māori spiritual elements.")
pepeha (“A statement by which a Māori group or tribe declares its identity and association with a particular place and ancestral people.")
pōwhiri (“A Māori welcoming ceremony.”)
rāhui ("a formal or ritualized prohibition against entering an area or undertaking an activity.")
rangatahi ("young people collectively; youth.”)
rangatiratanga ("chieftainship, nobility. Also: sovereignty, self-determination; the right of Māori people to rule themselves.")
reo ("the Māori language.”); rohe ( “A Māori tribal area or tribal boundary; an area, zone, or region.”)
taihoa ("To delay or postpone action; to procrastinate or wait; to proceed carefully.”)
tamaiti ("a child.”)
tamariki ("children.”)
tatau (“A traditional Samoan tattoo. Also: the art or practice of applying such a tattoo.”)
tino rangatiratanga (“The right of Māori people to rule themselves; political control by Māori people over Māori affairs.")
tuakana ("a boy or man’s elder brother, or a girl or woman’s elder sister.")
turangawaewae ("a place where one belongs or has established right of residence.")
wāhine toa ("a female warrior; (in extended use) any strong or brave woman.”)
wairua ( “A person’s soul or spirit.")
waka ama (" a Māori outrigger canoe; (later) a canoe of this type used for recreation or sport.")
whānau ("a family or community of related families, typically living together in the same area.")
wharekai ("The building in a Māori settlement or community in which food is served and eaten; a dining hall.”)
wharenui (" “In Māori communities: a large central building, usually carved and decorated, where assemblies take place; = meeting house.")
whenua ("Land, or a piece of land; esp. a Māori person’s or group’s native land.”).
Now to the weird stuff Oxford added. They’ve given ‘balls deep’ a couple of different definitions. The first one is literal and graphic, Oxford themselves classify it as ‘coarse slang’. I'm not going to write it, but you can find it here.
Alternatively, it has a ‘figurative’ use, which I hope is the only context I ever hear the phrase in during a conversation: “thoroughly involved or immersed in a situation, activity, etc.” or “to the furthest degree; thoroughly, completely, deeply”.
‘Kiwiness’ has also been added, meaning “the quality or fact of being from New Zealand. Also: characteristics regarded as typical of New Zealand or New Zealanders”.
Oxford also says that the word ‘stuffed’ is a New Zealand colloquial term, defined as “in predicative use (of a person): tired, worn out; incapacitated by exhaustion.”
So, using all those words in a sentence (for educational purposes of course), we can come up with something like:
“Chur for going balls deep with me with the studying last night, I was stuffed by the end of it, but it felt good to get that school paper on the All Blacks done, it definitely increased my Kiwiness.”
Don't say we never teach you anything.
