Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

martial art

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.03 in modern English

Syllables: mar-tial art
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several fighting styles which contain systematized methods of training for combat, both armed and unarmed; often practiced as a sport, e.g. boxing, karate, judo, silat, wrestling, or Muay Thai.

noun

Military skills, proficiency in military strategy, prowess in warfare.

Example Sentences

"[…] of all the modes by which the advantage of his country may be secured, the martial arts and valour are those by which a Swiss the most hopes to promote it."

Etymology

Calque of Japanese 武術 (bujutsu), which is itself borrowed from Chinese 武術 /武术 (wǔshù). However, the term had been already mentioned in Pope's Iliad (1715, 4.360), and in Sotheby's Iliad (1831, book 6).

Origin

Source language: Chinese

Word Breakdown

Root: 武術

Inflected Forms

martial arts (plural)

Phrases

martial artist

Synonyms

combat sport

Questions

What does martial art mean?: Any of several fighting styles which contain systematized methods of training for combat, both armed and unarmed; often practiced as a sport, e.g. boxing, karate, judo, silat, wrestling, or Muay Thai.
Where does martial art come from?: It is traced to Chinese.

How to pronounce martial art

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