panga

[pahng-guh]

noun

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

panga

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of panga¹

Borrowed into English from Swahili around 1930–35

Word History and Origins

Origin of panga¹

from a native E African word. The panga boat is so called because it resembles the knife in shape

Example Sentences

A year earlier, a man and two women died when a panga boat crashed into rocks at the base of the cliffs of Point Loma in San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times

Three people are dead and nine others are missing after a suspected panga boat overturned in Del Mar early Monday, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

“People have observed pangas crammed with illegal aliens, hitting our beach, and then scattering in the community or jumping into a van, which is parked nearby and ready to receive them,” Knoblock said.

From Los Angeles Times

Alcarez was arrested after Coast Guard gunshots disabled the panga’s engine.

From Seattle Times

Lifeguards found “lifeless bodies and two overturned pangas spread over an area of about 400 yards,” Ms. Muñoz said.

From New York Times