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tai chi

(tī chē, jē) or tai chi chuan (chwän)

A Chinese martial art whose system of physical exercises is often practiced as a way of meditating or improving well-being.

[From Mandarin tài jí quán (formerly romanized t'ai chi ch'üan) : tài jí, great ultimate (a concept in Chinese cosmology) (from Middle Chinese t^haj` kɦiə̆k : t^haj`, very great, greatest + kɦiə̆k, ridge-pole, pole, extremity) + quán, boxing (from Middle Chinese kɦyan, fist).]

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tai chi

right heel kick

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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