Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
kastom. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
kastom, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
kastom in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
kastom you have here. The definition of the word
kastom will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
kastom, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Tok Pisin kastom, itself from English custom.
Pronunciation
Noun
kastom (uncountable)
- (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu) In Melanesia, the assertion of traditional values and cultural practices in a modern context.
2000, David L. Hanlon, Geoffrey Miles White, Voyaging Through the Contemporary Pacific, page 392:At the same time many of these politicians established an intellectual rapprochement between kastom and Christianity.
2008, Sinclair Dinnen, Stewart Firth, Politics and State Building in Solomon Islands, page 200:The disturbance of kastom is what Moore sees as the root cause of the outbreak of violence during the crisis.
Anagrams
Tok Pisin
Etymology
Inherited from English custom.
Pronunciation
Noun
kastom
- kastom; traditional practices, especially as done by the bus kanaka
Usage notes
This is a false friend with English. A custom, in the sense of something that one usually does, is pasin.