tiki

Where does the word "tiki" come from? It comes from Maori/Polynesian tiki, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Tiki’s story begins in Maori/Polynesian: tiki meant “a carved ancestral figure.” A carved figure representing an ancestor or deity. It reached English by 1900s as tiki. In Māori myth Tiki was the first man; 1930s Hollywood 'tiki bars' spread the craze. Today, tiki means a carved figure representing a Polynesian ancestor or deity.

1. Stage 1 · Maori/Polynesian · ancient tiki "a carved ancestral figure", a carved figure representing an ancestor or deity.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s tiki "a carved figure inspired by Polynesian art", in Māori myth Tiki was the first man; 1930s Hollywood 'tiki bars' spread the craze.