kapu

Hawaiian

noun

Definitions

taboo, prohibition
something sacred or holy, and thus prohibited or forbidden to most

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Polynesian *tapu inherited from Proto-Oceanic *tabu inherited from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *tambu.

Origin

Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

*tambu

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms

kapu English
tabu Slovak
jabwi Marshallese
tambu Tok Pisin
Rātapu Maori
tapu Maori
*tapu Proto-Polynesian
*tabu Proto-Oceanic
tabu Fijian
*tambu Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
tapu Rapa Nui
tapu Samoan
tapu Tongan (Tonga Islands)
*tambu Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
tapu Tahitian