I. adjective
or ta·bu təˈbü, taˈ- sometimes ˈta|bü
Etymology: Tongan tabu
1. : set apart as venerable or as charged with a dangerous supernatural power : forbidden to profane use or contact : sacred , inviolable
the sacred or taboo animal of a neighboring people — L.E.Fuller
taboo grounds — the home only of spirit hosts awaiting the return of the ancient worship — I.L.Idriess
the person of the tribal chief is taboo
2. : banned on grounds of morality or taste or as constituting a risk : outlawed by common consent : disapproved, proscribed
many obscene and sacred words are taboo because the name is regarded as the equivalent of the object — Daniel Katz
a taboo list containing 300,000 songs — Leonard Allen
many of the cows are tubercular, so fresh milk is strictly taboo — Infantry Journal
II. noun
or tabu “
( -s )
Etymology: Tongan tabu
1.
a. : a prohibition instituted for the protection of a cultural group or as a safeguard against supernatural reprisal
taboo on using … a dead person's name — J.B.Casagrande
Great Spirit set the whirlwinds blowing … as a punishment to those who, breaking the taboo , had taught the white men how to snare salmon — American Guide Series: Oregon
— called also kapu, tapu
b.
(1) : an act or object avoided as sacrosanct
(2) : the quality or state of being taboo
fishes are spread out on the floor … until the women pour water over them to free them from taboo — Margaret Mead
2. : a prohibition imposed by social usage or as a protective measure : ban , restraint
subject to all the conventional taboos of her age, her sex and her pleasant place in the Victorian sun — Florence Bullock
control of behavior by the inner taboos of moral sense — R.L.Jenkins
rigid taboos about older men doing heavy work — New York State Legislative Committee on Problems of the Aging
3. : belief in or observance of taboos : convention , superstition
the man of the tribe, ruled by totem and taboo — Dorothy Thompson
social repressions lead to … folklore, religion, and taboo — Thomas Munro
III. transitive verb
or tabu “
( tabooed or tabued ; tabooed or tabued ; tabooing or tabuing ; taboos or tabus )
1.
a. : to set apart as sacrosanct especially by marking with a ritualistic symbol : exclude from profane use or contact
names of sacred chiefs and gods are tabooed, and may not be spoken — J.G.Frazer
b. : to avoid or ban on grounds of morality or taste or as constituting a danger : proscribe , shun
you will do, or taboo , what your culture calls for — L.A.White
provoke … wrath by discussing tabooed subjects — Lucy M. Montgomery
2. archaic : to curtail the use of : put off limits
that sacred enclosure of respectability was tabooed to us — J.R.Lowell
splendid couches tabooed against the reception of wearied feet — T.E.Hook