Etymology Explorer › Hawaiian

Where does “kapu” come from?

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

kapu (Hawaiian): taboo, prohibition; something sacred or holy, and...

Definitions

  1. taboo, prohibition; something sacred or holy, and...

Ancestry of “kapu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiantaputaboo
2Proto-Oceanictabu—
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiantambu—
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiantambu—

Words derived from “kapu”

  • kapu
Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu →