Where does “kapu” come from?

kapu (English) comes from Hawaiian kapu, from Proto-Polynesian tapu, from Proto-Oceanic tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu.

kapu (English): Taboo, especially in Hawaiian contexts

Definitions

  1. Taboo, especially in Hawaiian contexts

Ancestry of “kapu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiiankaputaboo, prohibition; something sacred or holy, and...
2Proto-Polynesiantaputaboo
3Proto-Oceanictabu—
4Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiantambu—
5Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiantambu—
Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu →Every word from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu →Every word from Proto-Oceanic tabu →