jujitsu

American  

[joo-jit-soo] / dʒuˈdʒɪt su /

Also jujutsu, or jiujitsu

noun

1. a method developed in Japan of defending oneself without the use of weapons by using the strength and weight of an adversary to disable him.

2. the use of an opponent's strengths or one's own weaknesses to accomplish one's goals.

   That was a kind of intellectual jujitsu, the way she handily won the debate.

   The town of Vacaville, in a prime example of touristic jujitsu, turned its isolation into an attraction in itself.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to turn (a situation) to one's advantage by exploiting one's own weaknesses or another's strengths, as in a social or political relationship.

   He deftly jujitsued the conversation to make my knowledge of the subject seem pretentious.

jujitsu British  

/ dʒuːˈdʒɪtsuː /

noun

1. the traditional Japanese system of unarmed self-defence perfected by the samurai See also judo

---

Etymology

Origin of jujitsu

First recorded in 1870–75; from Japanese jūjitsu, earlier jūjutsu, equivalent to jū “soft” ( see judo) + -jut(u) “technique,” from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese shù

Explanation

Jujitsu is a Japanese martial art that involves defending oneself by hand with holds, throws, and blows. The practice of jujitsu dates to the 17th century, when samurai warriors used it to augment their swords. Jujitsu is from the Japanese jujutsu, which comes from ju, "softness," and jutsu, "art." While some forms of jujitsu involve very small weapons, most don't. In this style of close combat, a practitioner tries to redirect an opponent's attack against them, rather than aggressively countering that force. Today, some people learn jujitsu in order to practice a graceful, powerful martial art, and others use it for self defense.

Example Sentences

From there, she built a 7-3 amateur record in MMA fighting and along the way collected 19 gold medals at Brazilian Jujitsu tournaments across the country.

From Washington Times • May 5, 2018

She sat cross-legged on a mat, wearing a black T-shirt that said, “In Jujitsu We Trust,” and leggings that were decorated with cat faces.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 5, 2017

The new statistics boss, plucked from his career in Washington, came with a reputation for a mild manner, a fondness for pastel ties, and a black belt in Jujitsu.

From Reuters • Mar. 14, 2013

Jujitsu, a system devised by samurai, uses painful holds to force an opponent into submission.

From Time Magazine Archive

Jujitsu, he said it was; dam good sense I call it.

From No Man's Land by McNeile, H. C. (Herman Cyril)

Related Words

• judo
• karate
• wrestling