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nun·cha·ku

(nən-chäk) or nun·chuck (nŭnchŭk′) or num·chuck (nŭm-)

n. often nunchakus or nunchucks or numchucks

A pair of hardwood sticks joined by a chain or cord and used as a weapon.

[Okinawan Japanese, probably from Taiwanese neng-cak, a type of farm implement : neng, two, paired (akin to Mandarin liǎng, from Middle Chinese liaŋ´) + cak, chisel (akin to Mandarin záo, chisel, from Middle Chinese dzak).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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