noun
toa
Toa (noun) means a small hand-painted marker traditionally made by the Diyari Aboriginal people of Australia, likely used as a signpost or way-marker. Example: “The museum displayed several toa collected in the late 1800s.”
noun
1
A small hand-painted marker traditionally made by the Diyari Aboriginal people of Australia, likely used as a signpost or way-marker.
"It seems that on leaving one place people would place a toa in the ground to show other people where they had gone."
— Bill Arthur, Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia (2005)
"The museum displayed several toa collected in the late 1800s."
"These thirty-four toa constructions, made from urban debris and ceremoniously installed in a circular (or sometimes oval) bed of sand, bring together the multiple themes centred on reclamation that preoccupied his life."
— Lin Onus, Urban dingo: the art and life of Lin Onus (2000)
2
A brave warrior.
"The elders spoke of him as a toa who had defended the village."
"Thus in Polynesia, the toa (warrior) could challenge the ariki (priest/chief)."
— Robert N. Bellah, Religion in Human Evolution (2011)
How to use toa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA traditional Aboriginal Australian trail-marker object, or, in Polynesian usage, a term for a warrior.
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Word forms
- Plural
- toas
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The museum displayed several _____ collected in the late 1800s.
Etymology
Borrowed from the Dieri language word for "sign, mark, or messenger."
Rhymes for toa
See all rhymes for toa →Frequently asked questions
What does “toa” mean?
The word “toa” means a small hand-painted marker traditionally made by the Diyari Aboriginal people of Australia, likely used as a signpost or way-marker. In plain terms, a traditional Aboriginal Australian trail-marker object, or, in Polynesian usage, a term for a warrior.
How do you use “toa” in a sentence?
Here is “toa” used in a sentence: “The museum displayed several toa collected in the late 1800s.”
What part of speech is “toa”?
“Toa” is a noun.
How many meanings does “toa” have?
“Toa” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small hand-painted marker traditionally made by the Diyari Aboriginal people of Australia, likely used as a signpost or way-marker.
