nunchaku

[ nuhn-chah-koo ]

noun

1. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nunchaku¹

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

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