Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kapu

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.76 in modern English

Syllables: ka-pu
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Taboo, especially in Hawaiian contexts.

noun

A member of a caste of agriculturists found primarily in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Example Sentences

"The operation of taboos – or kapu – kept society ordered, quite cruelly on occasion."

Etymology

From Hawaiian kapu, from Proto-Polynesian *tapu, from Proto-Oceanic *tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *tambu. Doublet of taboo.

Word Breakdown

Root: kapu, *tapu, *tabu, *tambu

Inflected Forms

kapus (plural)

Questions

What does kapu mean?: Taboo, especially in Hawaiian contexts.
Where does kapu come from?: From Hawaiian kapu, from Proto-Polynesian *tapu, from Proto-Oceanic *tabu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *tambu. Doublet of taboo.

How to pronounce kapu

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kapu”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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