rata
rata noun: any of various New Zealand plants of the genus Metrosideros.
Noun (1)
rata (usually uncountable, plural ratas)
- Any of various New Zealand plants of the genus Metrosideros.
- The hard dark red wood of trees of genus Metrosideros.
Noun (2)
rata (plural ratas)
- yellow mangosteen (Garcinia dulcis), a tree native to Indonesia, the Philippines, and India.
- Synonyms:
- Claudie mangosteen, eggtree
Proper noun capitalized: Rata
Rata
- Any of several legendary heroes in various Polynesian mythologies, notably associated with canoe building; in the context of comparative mythology, these figures are frequently identified with each other, resulting in as few as one or two distinct identities.
- The epics from other Polynesian islands may differ in detail, but in all of them, Rata (also known as Laska, Lasa, Aka, Raka) remains the illustrious canoe builder whose expertise in seafaring has never been surpassed.2004, Robert D. Craig, Handbook of Polynesian Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 218
- There are many versions of Rata′s adventures throughout the islands of Polynesia. Rata is a warrior hero with magical powers and is part of the Tawhaki cycle, a great cycle of dynastic myths. In this version from the islands of the South Pacific, it is Rata′s quest for vengeance that is told.2009, Sarah Bartlett, Rata, entry in The Mythology Bible, Sterling Publishing Co., page 356
- Synonyms:
- 'Aka, Laka, Lasa, Raka
Synonyms of rata
- Claudie mangosteen
- eggtree
- 'Aka
- Laka
- Lasa
- Raka
Forms of rata
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | ratas |
| Proper noun | |
| alternative form | Rātā |
Origin of rata
] From Māori rātā or cognate Tahitian rātā (“tree of genus Metrosideros”). Compare Tahitian puarātā (“Metrosideros collina”).
Compare Sinhalese රට ගොරකා (raṭa gorakā, “Garcinia xanthochymus”), Marathi रातंबी (rātambī, “Garcinia indica”).
Phrases with rata
Questions about rata
- What does rata mean?
- Rata means any of various New Zealand plants of the genus Metrosideros.
- What part of speech is rata?
- Rata can be a noun or a proper noun.
- What is the plural of rata?
- The plural of rata is ratas.
Words near rata in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: rata (page history and authors); Rata (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “rata.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rata. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.