marae
noun
- courtyard of a Māori meeting house
- prison cell, especially one where its occupant entertains many friends
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /məˈɹaɪ/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Māori marae and Tahitian marae, from Proto-Oceanic *malaqe.
- A Polynesian sacred altar or enclosure.
“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.’”
- The courtyard of a Maori wharenui or meeting-house, seen as a cultural and spiritual focal point; (by extension) the buildings and people around it; a spiritual or cultural centre.