Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🛐 A sacred thing 🚫 Sacred or forbidden 🛐 To make sacred
to tapu

to tapu

9.9
To make something sacred and stop people from touching or using it
  • verb
  • UK
translation icon : declarar sagrado
  • The elders decided to tapu the spring until the ceremony ended next month.

Examples

  • The community agreed to tapu the sacred site to honor their ancestors and protect it from harm.

  • It is customary to tapu certain foods during important rituals in the village.

  • They tapued the forest to protect it from being disturbed by outsiders.

  • The island is tapu to outsiders.

  • Is this area tapu for fishing?

  • During the festival, the leaders will tapu the river as a sign of respect for its spiritual significance.

  • It is important to tapu the land before any construction begins to preserve its cultural heritage.

How Sacred

to consecrate
  • Formal
33 7.4
to tapu
  • UK
9.9
to sanctify
24 7.4
to dedicate
  • Formal
43 5.3
to set aside
87 3.4

Surface Forms

tapu infinitive
taped past
taped past participle
taping present participle
tapu third person singular

Etymology

Tapu as a verb means to make something 'sacred' or 'forbidden' in Polynesian custom, so when elders tapu a spring or food they set special rules to protect it.