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Nov 14, 2024
This week’s theme
Words borrowed from Māori

This week’s words
aroha
tapu
korero
noa
mana

noa
Illustration: Anu Garg + AI
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

noa

PRONUNCIATION:
(NOH-uh)

MEANING:
adjective: Free from taboo, restrictions, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Māori, Hawaiian, and Tahitian. The opposite of tapu. Earliest documented use: 1854.

USAGE:
“And it is because the pit is noa that I demand you hide there.”
Judy Corbalis; A Crooked Rib; Penguin Random House; 2015.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed, and love of power. -P.J. O'Rourke, writer (14 Nov 1947-2022)

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