koru · noun — A spiral shape that symbolizes growth, strength and peace, used in Māori art. It carries an Arena rating of 1503, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, koru ranks #228 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,838 of 17,128 for Most Vivid Words, #2,973 of 17,132 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,024 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “koru” is a great word
A curved form, modeled on the nascent frond of the silver fern, that embodies in Māori art the principles of perpetual renewal, organic strength, and harmonious movement. Borrowed from Māori koru, meaning 'loop', 'coil', or 'bight'. Unlike a 'spiral'—a sterile geometric description—or a 'motif'—a broad artistic term—the koru is a specific cultural icon, laden with lived significance. It is the tight, vital curl of a newborn fern reaching for the light, the carved, flowing path on a hei tiki that guides the thumb, and the quiet expansion of breath after sorrow. Not merely a shape, it is a promise of return, resilience, and the deep, green quiet that follows growth.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
Borrowed from Māori koru.
noun
- A spiral shape that symbolizes growth, strength and peace, used in Māori art.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- korowai 56% match — A member of a people of southeastern Papua who are hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. vs koru →
- trefot 53% match — A three-armed spiral symbol used in Heathenry to represent the god Woden or the Norns. vs koru →
- tomoe 51% match — A circular design of swirling water, commonly used in Japanese family crests and corporation logos. vs koru →
- karakia 51% match — Māori incantations and prayers, used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection. vs koru →
- coiling 51% match — The pattern or motion of something that coils. vs koru →
- tekoteko 51% match — Carved figure as a finial on the gable of a Maori house vs koru →
- spiral 50% match — A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point. vs koru →
- coronis 50% match — A device, curved stroke, or flourish formed with a pen, coming at the end of a book or chapter; a colophon. For example: ⸎, ۞. vs koru →