motu

¹

/ məʊˈtuː /

noun

1. derogatory.
   a fat man or boy

Motu

²

/ ˈməʊtuː /

noun

1. -tu-tus a member of an aboriginal people of S Papua
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family
3. Also calledHiri Motuesp formerlyPolice Motu a pidgin version of this language, widely used in Papua-New Guinea Compare Neo-Melanesian

Word History and Origins

Origin of motu¹

C21: Hindi

Example Sentences

Ours pointed out fluffy booby hatchlings in the low branches of trees on one motu, and showed us up close the massive coconut crabs whose kind is coming back from the vanishing point.

From Los Angeles Times

Ours pointed out fluffy booby hatchlings in the low branches of trees on one motu, and showed us up close the massive coconut crabs whose kind is coming back from the vanishing point.

From Los Angeles Times

When, in 1628, William Harvey published “De Motu Cordis,” his theory of the circulation of blood, he relied on vivisections of dogs and sheep.

From New York Times

The 12 athletes have been training six days a week since mid-September, preparing for a voyage that will take them from Rapa Nui to Motu Motiro Hiva, another island in the mid-Pacific that belongs to Chile.

From Seattle Times

Motu Motiro Hiva –also called Salas y Gómez– is an uninhabited island, but its land and the surrounding waters have been affected by pollution.

From Seattle Times