This week’s theme
Words borrowed from Māori

This week’s words
aroha
tapu
korero
noa

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(TAH-poo)

MEANING:

noun: A restriction or prohibition; taboo.
adjective: Sacred, restricted, or forbidden.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Māori. The English word taboo is borrowed from Tongan tapu, part of the broader Polynesian concept of sacred restriction. Earliest documented use: 1822.

USAGE:

“The island has been free of Covid-19 for nearly three months now, with the tapu lifted on 31 May.”
Samuel Lovett; Everything We Have Done Has Been by Our Own Efforts; The Independent (London, UK); Jun 22, 2020.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: