1. King, ruler, member of the nobility, Ariki henua, king; members of the royal family, descending from Hotu Matu'a; noble, nobility, chief. 2. Divine being, superior being. Ariki Paka, certain collateral descendents of Hotu Matu'a, who exercised religious functions. Vanaga.

Chief, king, lord, headman in general. Hakaariki, to make one a king.The Marquesan use both aiki and hakaiki in the same sense; the latter forms with Mangarevan akariki a subordinate couple in Southeast Polynesia. Since akariki is the only form in Mangareva and the Marquesas have both we may regard this as indicative of the influence of Mangareva upon the Marquesas. In Tonga we find only eiki; the vowel change is quite in the Tongan manner, the dropping of the liquid is most unusual; the eiki form appears once more in Mangarevan ataeiki (also a language in which it is unusual to drop the liquid) in the sense 'to do nothing and to dress richly in a luxurious way'. Churchill.