Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun One of the large stone statues on Easter Island (Rapa Nui).

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Rapa Nui mo'ai ("statue, figurine")

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Examples

  • Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on Ahu (platforms) which were mostly at the island's perimeter.

    Moai Papercraft | Papercraft Paradise | PaperCrafts | Paper Models | Card Models Michael James 2008

  • For over 700 years, the Easter Islanders built their huge statues, called moai.

    THE 5 GREATEST WARRIORS MATTHEW REILLY 2010

  • Geographically, it's part of Polynesia and it's home to nearly 1,000 mysterious statues called moai, positioned across the island like sentries.

    For Chile, Colossal Trouble On Easter Island 2010

  • For over 700 years, the Easter Islanders built their huge statues, called moai.

    THE 5 GREATEST WARRIORS MATTHEW REILLY 2010

  • For over 700 years, the Easter Islanders built their huge statues, called moai.

    THE 5 GREATEST WARRIORS MATTHEW REILLY 2010

  • Geographically, it's part of Polynesia and it's home to nearly 1,000 mysterious statues called moai, positioned across the island like sentries.

    For Chile, Colossal Trouble On Easter Island 2010

  • These big busts, called moai, are an average of 13 feet tall and are known to islanders as the "living faces."

    Before the Trees Disappeared 2009

  • Amenities: There are daily guided excursions to the mysterious giant stone statues, called moai, which have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Hot Spot 2008

  • This Polynesian island in the Pacific Ocean is world famous for its 887 monumental statues, called moai, that were carved out of solidified volcanic ash by the Rapanui people over 900 years ago.

    Lead Stories from AOL 2010

  • Reflective of the island's plentiful resources, inhabitants had ample leisure time and began to carve stone statues, called moai, from volcanic rock, which was mostly found in a single quarry known as Rano Raraku.

    The Daily News - News 2009

  • Chile's Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is famous for its giant monumental statues, called moai, built by early inhabitants some 800 years ago.

    Scientists think they’ve solved one mystery of Easter Island’s statues Jennifer Ouellette 2023

Comments

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  • The famous Easter Island statues.

    Does anyone know whether this word is singular, plural or both? It sounds plural but I've no idea what the singular would be.

    February 23, 2008

  • I've read it in a sentence similar to this one. It sounds like the description of some sort of organization or social relationship. The two are members of the walking moai, a thriving group of people who meet to walk.

    September 28, 2009

  • In an article on aging (in Japan) - "Moai: a group of friends, neighbors, or others who get together regularly to provide reciprocal support - social, emotional, and financial." National Geographic, Nov. 2005, p.18

    April 30, 2010