panga

American  

[pahng-guh] / ˈpɑŋ gə /

noun

1. a large, broad-bladed African knife used as a weapon or as an implement for cutting heavy jungle growth, sugarcane, etc.; machete.

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panga British  

/ ˈpæŋɡə /

noun

1. a broad heavy knife of E Africa, used as a tool or weapon

2. a small fishing boat first developed in Japan and now used chiefly in US and Central American waters

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Etymology

Origin of panga

Borrowed into English from Swahili around 1930–35

Example Sentences

My angling partner, Ken Matsumoto, stepped to the bow of the panga and peeled fly line from his reel.

From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2022

U.S. border agents found a dead migrant on an abandoned panga fishing boat in Carlsbad this past April.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2021

Once, I saw my male English teacher wielding a panga, or African machete.

From Time • Aug. 31, 2016

When a false killer whale speeds toward Hirsh’s panga, stops inches short and sings, is it trying to communicate?

From Seattle Times • Aug. 30, 2013

She put the panga in the sling with the calabashes and kept the spear handy.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer