Meanings
nountabu search (countable and uncountable, plural tabu searches)
plural tabu searches
- countableuncountableA combinatorial search technique used to solve optimization problems by tracking and guiding the search.
Compared to simulated annealing, the tabu search heuristic performed well.
Origin
From tabu (“sacred, not to be touched”), in reference to the prohibition against revisiting earlier rejected solutions.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
tabu search. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tabu%20search
MLA
“tabu search.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tabu%20search. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tabu search,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tabu%20search.
Source: tabu search on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.