kastom

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Tok Pisin kastom, itself from English custom.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑːstɒm/

Noun

kastom (uncountable)

1. (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

• Matsko, komast

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Inherited from English custom.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kas.tom/

Noun

kastom

1. 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.