Where does “tabou” come from?
tabou (French) comes from English taboo, from Tongan tapu, from Proto-Polynesian tapu, from Proto-Oceanic tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu.
Ancestry of “tabou”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | taboo | An inhibition or ban that results from social... |
| 2 | Tongan | tapu | prohibited, sacred |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | tapu | taboo |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | tabu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tambu | — |
| 6 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tambu | — |