tapu
Spiritually off-limits thing
Tapu is the Māori and Polynesian concept of something being sacred, forbidden, or under spiritual restriction.
A place, object, or person that is tapu must not be touched or approached by unauthorized people.
The word is the source of English *taboo*, which has lost most of the spiritual dimension.
In New Zealand English, tapu retains its full cultural weight: The burial ground is tapu.
Quality of being inviolable
- consecratedDeclared sacred through ritual
- hallowedMade or regarded holy
- inviolableImpossible to breach
- sacrosanctRegarded as too important to alter
divine · holy · revered · venerated · blessed · shrine · altar · temple
Of Pacific island peoples
- PacificEarth's vastest ocean
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- customaryDone by convention
traditional · ceremonial · heritage · mana · genealogy · kinship · community · protocol
Officially not permitted
- restrictedLimited in scope
- off-limitsProhibited from access
- bannedOfficially disallowed
- interdictedProhibited by decree
untouchable · inviolable · verboten · barred · proscribed · unspeakable · unmentionable · sacrosanct
Limit on action
- boundaryLine marking a limit
- safeguardPrecaution against harm
- prohibitionAuthoritative legal ban
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
preservation · separation · avoidance · barrier · exclusion · guardianship · immunity · inviolability
mana
Supernatural indwelling power
sanctity
Quality of being inviolable
- consecratedDeclared sacred through ritual
- hallowedMade or regarded holy
- inviolableImpossible to breach
sacrosanct · divine · holy · revered · venerated · blessed · shrine · altar · temple · sanctified
Polynesian
Of Pacific island peoples
- PacificEarth's vastest ocean
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- ancestralOf one's forebears
customary · traditional · ceremonial · heritage · mana · genealogy · kinship · community · protocol
prohibited
Officially not permitted
- restrictedLimited in scope
- off-limitsProhibited from access
- bannedOfficially disallowed
interdicted · untouchable · inviolable · verboten · barred · proscribed · unspeakable · unmentionable · sacrosanct · no-go
restriction
Limit on action
- boundaryLine marking a limit
- safeguardPrecaution against harm
- prohibitionAuthoritative legal ban
sanctuary · preservation · separation · avoidance · barrier · exclusion · guardianship · immunity · inviolability
tapuprofane
Irreverent toward the sacred
common · ordinary · unrestricted · permitted · secular
tapusafe
Free from peril
neutral · harmless · approachable · touchable · desacralized