nunchaku
[nuhn-chah-koo]
- Sometimes nunchakus. a Japanese hand weapon for defense against frontal assault, consisting of two foot-long hardwood sticks joined by a chain or thick cord that stretches to body width.
Also nun-chucks, nun·chucks [nuhn-chuhks] /ˈnʌnˌtʃʌks/.
Origin of nunchaku
1965–70; < Okinawan Japanese version of a dialectal Chinese (Taiwan) word for a farm implement, probably neng-cak, equivalent to Chinese lyǎng pair(ed) + záo dig (a hole), i.e., two diggers; with 2nd element interpreted as zat, equivalent to Chinese jié section
Also called karate sticks.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018