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Nov 12, 2024
This week’s themeWords borrowed from Māori This week’s words aroha tapu korero noa mana
A war canoe, traditionally considered tapu
Photo: Bernard Spragg
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargtapu
PRONUNCIATION:
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:
Patience is also a form of action. -Auguste Rodin, sculptor (12 Nov
1840-1917)
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