Tapu
/ˈtɑːpuː/noun
A Māori and wider Polynesian term for something sacred, restricted, or forbidden by religious or customary rules.
Did you know?The English word “taboo” entered European languages through Polynesian contact, especially after Captain Cook’s voyages, from forms related to tapu.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*tapu
“Sacred, prohibited, or set apart by religious restriction”
Pre-European Polynesia
Polynesian
tapu
“Subject to sacred restrictions; not to be touched, entered, or approached freely”
18th Century
Tongan
tabu
“Forbidden or placed under sacred restriction”
1777
English
taboo
“A Polynesian prohibition or sacred restriction, recorded in English after Cook’s voyages”
19th Century
Māori
tapu
“Sacred, prohibited, or ritually restricted”
Modern English
English
tapu
“A Māori or Polynesian sacred restriction or taboo”