nunchaku
Americannoun
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While stealing moments to train for an upcoming nunchaku scene — the signature weapon of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, whose writings inspired the project — Koji accidentally smacked himself in the head, he admits.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2022
“Clearly, my years of martial arts training paid off. Pulled my old nunchaku out of storage … like riding a bike,” Mr. Brnovich captioned the five-second clip.
From Washington Times • May 14, 2019
And from the counter he lifted a set of nunchaku and waved them in the air.
From Washington Post • Jun. 23, 2017
Orcutt said he came to the nunchaku in the late 1970s, when, inspired by kung fu movies, he got his black belt while going to school for law enforcement.
From The Guardian • Oct. 27, 2015
She sighed as she put the battle-ax back, then flipped out a pair of nunchaku.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
