Where does “tapu” come from?
tapu (Samoan) comes from Proto-Polynesian tapu, from Proto-Oceanic tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tambu.
tapu (Samoan): taboo
Ancestry of “tapu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | tapu | taboo |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | tabu | — |
| 3 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tambu | — |
| 4 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tambu | — |