Tongan tabu was adapted to the English spelling taboo and English phonology.
CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP RECORD
COVERAGE LEDGER ↗EDGE / 0312borrowingestablished
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taboo
a ritual or social prohibition; prohibited or set apart
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PARENT / EARLIER FORM / attestedTongan · Tongan · sacred prohibitedtabu / tapu
forbidden, prohibited, unlawful; historically also sacred or consecrated
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THE COMPLETE RELATIONSHIP
EVERY FIELD, NOT A FAIRY TALE
A Polynesian field joining sacredness and prohibition became an English noun, adjective, and verb for prohibited things and acts.
English record by 1777.
Merriam-Webster Editors · POLLEX editors
established — Merriam-Webster explicitly identifies Tongan tabu; POLLEX documents the Tongan forms and semantic range.
reviewed
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CITATION REGISTER
SOURCES ON THIS EDGE
Taboo — Word HistoryWord History — Etymology; First Known Use
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Identifies Tongan tabu and reports English use in 1777.
TAPU [OC] — Prohibited, under ritual restriction, tabooTongan reflexes under OC.TAPU
supportsAUDIT SOURCE ↗ORIGINAL ↗Documents Tongan taboo or tapu with forbidden, sacred, and consecrated senses.
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EDITORIAL REUSE