Kāwai (i) = kawei, n. 1. Shoot or branch of a gourd or other creeping plant. I tupu ki hea te kawai o te hue ? (M.M. 194).
2. Pedigree, lineage. Takina ou kawai, kia mohiotia ai ou tupuna.—E kimi ana i nga kawai i toro ki tawhiti (Of a man looking up relatives at a distance) (P. 4).
3. Tentaculae of cuttlefish.
4. Loops or handles of a kete, or Maori basket.
5. Strand (in plaiting).
6. Breeze. Te kawai muri whenua, te kawai tutere (Sh. T. 184).
Williams Dictionary
Kāwai (ii), n. Flock. He kawai parera.
kāwaiwai, n. Brood of ducklings when they first take to the water. Ka whanau nga kuao o te parera, ka haere ki te wai kau ai, ka kiia i kona te ingoa he kawaiwai.
Note.—These two words seem to apply only to parera, whio, and weweia.
Williams Dictionary
