moai

British

/ ˈməʊaɪ /

noun

any of the gigantic carved stone figures found on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of moai

from Rapanui (the Polynesian language of Easter Island), literally: statue, figurine

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He spent a week in harbor, estimated the population at a few thousand, praised the rich volcanic soil and well-tended gardens, and marveled at the moai—“remarkable, tall, stone figures, a good 30 feet in height.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Under this system, leadership could be earned through athletic competition rather than inherited through family lines connected to the moai statues.

From Science Daily

For this study, scientists gathered more than 11,000 photographs of Rano Raraku, the primary moai quarry.

From Science Daily

These images were merged into a detailed 3D reconstruction that captured hundreds of moai preserved in different stages of production.

From Science Daily

Additional clues indicate that completed or partially shaped moai were moved away from the quarry along several different paths.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023