Meaning

noun an adherent of any branch of Taoism

noun the ultimate principle of the universe

originBorrowed from Yami Tao (“the Tao/Yami language”), from Yami tao (“human; person”), from Proto-Philippine *tau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau, from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Compare Ibatan tawo, Tagalog tao, Ilocano tao.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0