Noun

1. a Polynesian sacred altar or enclosure

   • 2004: The path ended down by the sea at a crumbling ‘ingot’ of black coral, twenty yards in length & in height two men. ‘A marae, this is called,’ Mr Wagstaff informed me. ‘All over the South Seas you see ’em, I’m told.’ — David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

2. the courtyard of a Maori wharenui or meeting-house and the buildings around it