Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [tuh-boo, ta-]
- /təˈbu, tæ-/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [tuh-boo, ta-]
- /təˈbu, tæ-/
Definitions of tabu word
- verb with object tabu to put under a taboo; prohibit or forbid. Synonyms: prohibit, ban, forbid, proscribe. Antonyms: allow, permit, sanction. 1
- verb with object tabu to ostracize (a person, group, etc.): While he is tabooed, no one may speak to him. 1
- adjective tabu proscribed by society as improper or unacceptable: Taboo language is usually bleeped on TV. Synonyms: prohibited, banned, forbidden, proscribed. Antonyms: allowed, permitted, permissible; sanctioned. 1
- adjective tabu prohibited or excluded from use or practice: In art school, painting from photographs was taboo. 1
- adjective tabu (among the Polynesians and other peoples of the South Pacific) separated or set apart as sacred; forbidden for general use; placed under a prohibition or ban. Synonyms: sacrosanct, inviolable. 1
- noun plural tabu a prohibition or interdiction of anything; exclusion from use or practice: One of the strongest taboos in all modern societies is against incest. Synonyms: ban, proscription, embargo, interdiction; no-no. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of tabu
First appearance:
before 1770 One of the 46% newest English words
1770-80; < Tongan tapu or Fijian tabu ‘forbidden, prohibited’
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Tabu
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
tabu popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 81% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
tabu usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for tabu
adj tabu
- banned — to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
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