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Glite Dictionary
🛐 A sacred thing 🚫 Sacred or forbidden 🛐 To make sacred
tapu

tapu

9.9
Customs stop people from touching or using it because it is sacred
  • adjective
  • UK
translation icon : sagrado
  • Certain objects in the village are tapu and must not be touched by outsiders.

Examples

  • In Maori culture, certain sites are tapu and must not be disturbed.

  • The ceremony took place on tapu ground, reserved only for elders and priests.

  • The ancient forest was considered tapu and no one dared to enter it.

  • The ancient forest is considered tapu by the local tribes.

  • The ancient forest was considered tapu, so no one was allowed to enter its sacred boundaries.

  • In Maori culture, specific sites are tapu and should not be disturbed by anyone.

  • The ceremony was held on tapu ground, which is reserved exclusively for religious rituals.

Synonyms

sacred
vstapu
64 4.6

Kept only for one use or person

is also protected by custom from use, touch, or disturbance
taboo
vstapu
39 5.2

Not allowed by a social or cultural rule

is treated as a protected custom preventing use or disturbance
sacrosanct
vstapu
  • Formal
14 9.1

Too important to change or question

is specifically under custom protection from use or touch
untouchable
vstapu
1 6.4

Too delicate for people to touch

is wider, also blocking use or disturbance by custom
tabu
vstapu
  • UK
9.9

Forbidden because of religious or social rules

is treated as protected by custom against use, touch, or disturbance

How Sacred

sacrosanct
  • Formal
14 9.1
tapu
  • UK
9.9
sacred
250 4.6

Surface Forms

tapu positive

Etymology

Tapu comes from Māori and other Polynesian languages and means 'sacred' or 'forbidden', so a place or object that is tapu is protected and people must not touch or enter it.