OriginFrom Proto-Central-Eastern Polynesian *koo-iwi. Cognate with Hawaiian ʻōiwi (“physique, self”). Can be analysed as ko + iwi.
- human bone
“Ko ngā kōiwi o tōku matua / Takoto ki raro i te moana / I roto i te whare Manawa-Tāne / Ko te wharenui o ngā Ponaturi e, Ponaturi e / Whakahokia ngā kōiwi o tōku matua / Kei konei ahau e kimikimi utu ” — The bones of my father / Lie at the bottom of the ocean / In the house, Manawa-Tāne / The wharenui of the Sea Demons, Sea Demons / Return the bones of my father / I am here seeking utu / Return the bo
- corpse
- person, self
- descendants
Source: Wiktionary — CC BY-SA 4.0