adj
Noa
adj
1
Not under taboo; safe to say or use in place of a forbidden word or sacred name (used in anthropology, especially of Polynesian custom).
"The chief's name became noa again once the mourning period ended."
2
Ordinary or non-sacred, and so kept apart from what is considered tapu (sacred/forbidden).
"Everyday tools were treated as noa, unlike the sacred objects kept in the temple."
How to Use Noa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe opposite of taboo — something ordinary and safe to use or speak, rather than sacred or forbidden.
Memory tip
You'll mostly meet this word in writing about Māori or Polynesian culture, alongside "tapu."
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Noas plural
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The chief's name became _____ again once the mourning period ended.
Etymology
From Polynesian languages, where it forms a pair with "tapu" (the source of the English word "taboo") — noa marking what is free of restriction.