poi 1 (poi) n. A Hawaiian food made from the corm of the taro that is cooked, pounded to a paste, and fermented. [Hawaiian.] poi 2 (poi)n. A traditional Maori performance art in which one swings in each hand a rope with a ball at the end, usually in specific, complex patterns.[Maori, ball.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.poi (p??; ?p???) n (Cookery) a Hawaiian dish made of the root of the taro baked, pounded to a paste, and fermented[C19: from Hawaiian]poi (p??) n (Anthropology & Ethnology) NZ a ball of woven flax swung rhythmically in poi dances[M?ori]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014poi (p??, ?po? i) n. a Hawaiian food made of taro root pounded into a paste. [1815?25;