Webster's English Dictionary

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taboo

1. ta.boo or ta.bu \t*-'bu:, ta-\ aj [Tongan tabu] 1: set apart as charged 
   with a dangerous supernatural power and forbidden  to profane use or 
   contact 2: banned on grounds of morality or taste or as constituting a risk 
2. taboo or tabu n 1: a prohibition instituted for the protection of a 
   cultural group against  supernatural reprisal 2: a prohibition imposed by 
   social usage or as a protective measure  3: belief in or observance of 
   taboos 
3. taboo or tabu vt 1: to exclude from profane use or contact as sacrosanct 
   esp. by marking wi th a ritualistic symbol 2: to avoid or ban as taboo