kauri
noun
kau·ri
ˈkau̇(-ə)r-ē 
1
: any of various trees (genus Agathis) of the araucaria family
especially
: a tall timber tree (A. australis) of New Zealand having fine white straight-grained wood
called also kauri pine
2
: a light-colored to brown resin from the kauri tree found as a fossil in the ground or collected from living trees and used especially in varnishes and linoleum
called also kauri gum, kauri resin
Examples of kauri in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Spend your days hiking through dense kauri woods or exploring jagged inlets.
—
Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
But Weimer also works with Hawaiian koa wood, Honduran mahogany, Central American cocobolo, African bubinga, South American pao ferro and New Zealand kauri wood, which is thousands of years old.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2022
The trunks of ancient kauri trees indicated that the Laschamp Excursion caused major extinctions.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021
Scientists analyzed the rings found in ancient New Zealand kauri trees, some which had been preserved in sediments for more than 40,000 years, to create a timescale of how Earth's atmosphere changed over time.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 19 Feb. 2021
In the past decade, a unique strain of phytophthora has been identified as targeting kauri.
—Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2020
Somewhere in the middle of New Zealand, there is a kauri tree stump (Agathis australis) that should not be alive.
—Kelly Mayes, Science | AAAS, 25 July 2019
Here are five prime suggestions, from a small forest in England to the gigantic kauri trees of New Zealand’s Waipoua Forest.
—George Stone, National Geographic, 29 Oct. 2019
Sudden atmospherically driven changes in water relations in adjacent kauri trees were very rapidly and inversely mirrored in the living stump's water status.
—Fox News, 26 July 2019
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Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
But Weimer also works with Hawaiian koa wood, Honduran mahogany, Central American cocobolo, African bubinga, South American pao ferro and New Zealand kauri wood, which is thousands of years old.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2022
The trunks of ancient kauri trees indicated that the Laschamp Excursion caused major extinctions.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021
Scientists analyzed the rings found in ancient New Zealand kauri trees, some which had been preserved in sediments for more than 40,000 years, to create a timescale of how Earth's atmosphere changed over time.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN, 19 Feb. 2021
In the past decade, a unique strain of phytophthora has been identified as targeting kauri.
—Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2020
Somewhere in the middle of New Zealand, there is a kauri tree stump (Agathis australis) that should not be alive.
—Kelly Mayes, Science | AAAS, 25 July 2019
Here are five prime suggestions, from a small forest in England to the gigantic kauri trees of New Zealand’s Waipoua Forest.
—George Stone, National Geographic, 29 Oct. 2019
Sudden atmospherically driven changes in water relations in adjacent kauri trees were very rapidly and inversely mirrored in the living stump's water status.
—Fox News, 26 July 2019
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kauri.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Maori kawri
First Known Use
1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near kauri
Cite this Entry
“Kauri.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kauri. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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