koha

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See also: köha, köhä, and kōha

English

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WOTD – 6 February 2019

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Maori koha (“regard, respect; gift, present”).[1]

Noun

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koha (countable and uncountable, plural kohas or koha)

  1. (New Zealand) A Māori tradition of reciprocal giving of gifts.
    • 2001, Kevin Holmes, “Gifts and Windfall Gains”, in The Concept of Income: A Multi-disciplinary Analysis (Academic Council Doctoral Series; 1), Amsterdam: IBFD Publications, →ISBN, page 427:
      Koha are commonly given at the conclusion of a powhiri (a Maori welcome onto a marae (meeting place)). [Mary Anne] Salmond explains that "great pride is taken in being able to present a generous gift to the hosts." Koha that are given at the conclusion of a powhiri are not payments for goods or services.
    • 2003, Hirini Moko Mead, “Te Takoha: Gift Giving”, in Tikanga Māori: Living by Māori Values, Wellington: Huia Publishers, →ISBN, page 188:
      The speaker then sits down and a person from the marae side walks over to collect the koha and acknowledge it.
    • 2013 June 19, Kate Chapman, “Pakeha don’t get koha”, in The Press West Coast:
      Mana Party leader Hone Harawira is standing behind his party's by-election candidate saying Pakeha don't understand koha if they have a problem with him keeping the $12,000 raised for his surgery.
    • 2015 November 11, Dave Nicoll, “The etiquette of koha – it’s all about respect”, in The Southland Times (reproduced on Stuff.co.nz)‎[1]:
      In the old days the koha would be food to help with the running of the event, like baskets of kumara, [Michael] Skerrett said.
  2. (New Zealand, by extension) A voluntary donation given for a service that has been provided.
    • [1873 December 31, “Wairarapa Five Per Cents., (Report on the Payment of Balances on the). Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency. [No. 1. Major Heaphy to the Hon. the Native Minister.]”, in Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand. […], volume II, Wellington: Government Printer, published 1874, →OCLC, page 2:
      There was considerable opposition to any advance for this mill being charged as against "Koha." […] In respect to the Turakirae Block, Manihera and Wi Kingi claimed "Koha" for Taita, Mangaroa, and Pakuratahi, stating that the purchase extended over those lands, and even to the source of a stream falling to the West Coast.]
    • 1986 April 29, Peter Tapsell, “Te Pire Mo Te Reo Maori—Maori Language Bill”, in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): Second Session, Forty-first Parliament, 1986: House of Representatives, volume 470, Wellington: V. R. Ward, government printer, →OCLC, page 1460:
      Unfortunately, some of our young people have come to the conclusion that koha as a system is out of date. Several times I have heard it said by young people that they are going to a hui but, not to worry, the Government will fund it. […] I believe that we ought to be attending hui, and ought to make contributions by way of koha.
    • 2012 December, “In and Out of Context: A Street Light Circus”, in Scoop: Independent News‎[2]:
      In and Out of Context is a free/koha event and for everyone! Bring the whole family, bring someone you’re keen to impress, if they’re impressed make a donation!
    • 2016 January 8, Matthew Theunissen, “Concert to greet Syrian refugees”, in The New Zealand Herald‎[3]:
      The event is free but organisers say a koha would help with resettlement.
    • 2016 January 11, “Gisborne goes arty at the Arts and Craft Fair: Crowds flock in to support local artists”, in Gisborne Herald‎[4]:
      The Fair is a registered charity that donates funds raised by koha, raffle or bake sales to charities in the community.
Translations
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Etymology 2

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Male (top) and female kohas, or Asian koels (Eudynamys scolopaceus), seen in India and Sri Lanka respectively

Borrowed from Sinhalese කොහා (kohā, “cuckoo”), probably from Sinhalese කෝ + හඩ (kō + haḍa, “cuckoo”) or ultimately as the abbreviation of the word tells, the imitation of the chirping and trilling sound.

Noun

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koha (plural kohas)

  2. (chiefly Sri Lanka) The koel (Eudynamys), a genus of cuckoos from Asia, Australia, and the Pacific with a distinctive loud call; specifically, the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus).
    • 1997, Gamini de S. G. Punchihewa, Vignettes of Far Off Things: Introducing the History, Tank Civilization, Jungle Lore, Fauna, & Flora and Adventure of the Walawe Basin, Nugegoda, Colombo, Sri Lanka: State Printing Corporation, →ISBN, page 199:
      Our species, the Koel or Koha also belongs to this sub-family of Cuculinae. The male cuckoo is dark in colour, while its female is speckled (called the Gomara Koha).
    • 2006, Swarna Wickremeratne, “Festival of New Beginnings: The New Year”, in Buddha in Sri Lanka: Remembered Yesterdays, Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, →ISBN, pages 31–32:
      The sound of the koha is associated with the advent of the Sinhala and Tamil new year; the bird is often called the Avurudu koha—the New Year Cuckoo. The koha is an early bird, and its call is strident, plaintive, and easy to imitate. The legend has it that the koha never makes a nest of its own. It takes a free ride by laying its eggs in the crow's nest.
    • 2010, M. G. Ratnayake, “The Koel in the Nest”, in That Blue Thing: An Engineer’s Travel, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 21:
      The adult male koels (or kohas as they are locally known) start calling in March, and are in full voice come April. Most Sri Lankans associate the call—a shrieking 'koo-Ooo' or 'ko-Haa' more penetrating than the mellifluous European cuckoo—with the start of a new year, as both the Sinhalese and the Tamils celebrate this in the middle of that month.
    • 2017 April 9, Malaka Rodrigo, “Koha’s call overseas comes from another species”, in The Sunday Times‎[5], Colombo, Sri Lanka, archived from the original on 9 June 2018:
      The Koha or Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is considered the harbinger of Sinhala and Tamil New Year for its beautiful song aimed at attracting a mate.
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Translations
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References

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  1. ^ William Williams (1871) “kŏhă”, in W[illiam] L[eonard] Williams, editor, A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language; to which is Added a Selection of Colloquial Sentences, 3rd edition, London, Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate, […], →OCLC, page 55, column 2.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Albanian

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Noun

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koha

  1. age

Estonian

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Finnic *kuha, borrowed from Proto-Germanic [Term?].

Noun

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koha (genitive koha, partitive koha)

  1. zander, the freshwater fish Sander lucioperca.
Declension
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Declension of koha (ÕS type 17/elu, no gradation)
singular plural
nominative koha kohad
accusative nom.
gen. koha
genitive kohade
partitive koha kohasid
illative kohha
kohasse 		kohadesse
inessive kohas kohades
elative kohast kohadest
allative kohale kohadele
adessive kohal kohadel
ablative kohalt kohadelt
translative kohaks kohadeks
terminative kohani kohadeni
essive kohana kohadena
abessive kohata kohadeta
comitative kohaga kohadega

Etymology 2

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

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koha (genitive koha, partitive koha)

  1. rustling, the sound of waves or of leaves in the wind.
Declension
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Declension of koha (ÕS type 17/elu, no gradation)
singular plural
nominative koha kohad
accusative nom.
gen. koha
genitive kohade
partitive koha kohasid
illative kohha
kohasse 		kohadesse
inessive kohas kohades
elative kohast kohadest
allative kohale kohadele
adessive kohal kohadel
ablative kohalt kohadelt
translative kohaks kohadeks
terminative kohani kohadeni
essive kohana kohadena
abessive kohata kohadeta
comitative kohaga kohadega
Synonyms
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Verb

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koha

  1. Second-person singular imperative form of kohama.
  2. Present connegative form of kohama.

Etymology 3

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Noun

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koha

  1. genitive singular of koht

Herero

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Verb

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koha

  1. to wash

Vilamovian

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Etymology

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From Middle High German kochen, from Old High German kohhōn, from Proto-West Germanic *kokōn.

Verb

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koha (simple past koht, past participle gykoht)

  1. to cook
  2. to boil (cook in boiling water)
  3. to boil (begin to turn into a gas)

Derived terms

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