tapu
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈtæpu/
- UK
:
tabú
- it's tapu.
Examples
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In addition, as Paul Tapsell argues, the object is surrounded and stimulated by three important elements: mana, tapu, and kōrero ("Flight" 327-28).
Academic text (2016) -
Māori custom dictates that visitors must respect the tapu of sacred sites during their stay.
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You... have broken so many tapu today that Makemake should eat your souls in hell for all eternity!
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You have broken the tapu of this school... on this marae, the one place where our old ways are upheld.
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When drunk, people are more likely to ignore normal prohibitions or tapu for interpersonal interaction.
Academic text (1994) -
The Tapu hasn't been lifted. UNSUBTITLED: Stewart struggles up to the front to join Baines; he speaks over the top of Hone.
Fiction book (1993) -
Māori custom dictates that visitors wash their hands after leaving a wahi tapu, or sacred place.
Academic text (2003) -
To enter the sacred ground, you must acknowledge its tapu and follow the associated customs.
-
In the community, breaking a tapu is seen as a serious offense against societal norms.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A rule from religion or community that forbids certain actions and places
How Sacred
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tapu names a Polynesian idea of something 'sacred' or 'forbidden', and it is the source of the English word taboo, so a tapu is a thing people must not touch or break because of social or religious rules.