Definition of "noa" in Englisch

adjective

1. (New Zealand, among the Maori) Non-sacred; such that it must be kept separate from what is taboo.

   • The power of the spoken word has meant that some dangerous things are not mentioned by their "real" names, but by noa terms, like gullfot (literally "golden foot") for "wolf", or tallbjörn (literally "pine bear"), granoxe (literally: "fir ox"), trädräv (literally: "tree fox") or granälg (literally: "fir elk") for "squirrel".