diff --git a/core/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.install b/core/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.install
index 3c3cd2c..c0e292d 100644
--- a/core/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.install
+++ b/core/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.install
@@ -136,6 +136,13 @@ function taxonomy_update_8601() {
   $definition_update_manager = \Drupal::entityDefinitionUpdateManager();
   $entity_type = $definition_update_manager->getEntityType('taxonomy_term');
 
+  // Bail out early if a field named 'status' is already installed.
+  if ($definition_update_manager->getFieldStorageDefinition('status', 'taxonomy_term')) {
+    return t('The publishing status field has <strong>not</strong> been added to taxonomy terms. See <a href=":link">this page</a> for more information on how to install it.', [
+      ':link' => 'https://www.drupal.org/node/2985366',
+    ]);
+  }
+
   // Add the 'published' entity key to the taxonomy_term entity type.
   $entity_keys = $entity_type->getKeys();
   $entity_keys['published'] = 'status';
diff --git a/core/modules/taxonomy/tests/src/Functional/Update/TaxonomyTermUpdatePathTest.php b/core/modules/taxonomy/tests/src/Functional/Update/TaxonomyTermUpdatePathTest.php
index b96da8b..87ad2a7 100644
--- a/core/modules/taxonomy/tests/src/Functional/Update/TaxonomyTermUpdatePathTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/taxonomy/tests/src/Functional/Update/TaxonomyTermUpdatePathTest.php
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ public function testPublishable() {
     $this->assertEquals('Test term', $term->label());
     $this->assertEquals('tags', $term->bundle());
     $this->assertTrue($term->isPublished());
+
+    // Check that the term can be unpublished.
+    $term->setUnpublished();
+    $term->save();
+    $term = $storage->loadUnchanged($term->id());
+    $this->assertFalse($term->isPublished());
   }
 
   /**