kamikaze
Use Kamikaze in a sentence
mɪˈkɑ noun
1.
(during World War II) a member of a special corps in the Japanese air force charged with the suicidal mission of crashing an aircraft laden with explosives into an enemy target, especially a warship.
2.
an airplane used for this purpose.
3.
a person or thing that behaves in a wildly reckless or destructive manner: We were nearly run down by a kamikaze on a motorcycle.
adjective
4.
of, pertaining to, undertaken by, or characteristic of a kamikaze: a kamikaze pilot; a kamikaze attack.
Origin:
1940–45; < Japanese, equivalent to kami(y) god (earlier *kamui) + kaze wind (earlier *kanzai
1940–45; < Japanese, equivalent to kami(y) god (earlier *kamui) + kaze wind (earlier *kanzai
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To kamikaze
00:10
Kamikaze
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
kamikaze (ˌkæmɪˈkɑːzɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (in World War II) one of a group of Japanese pilots who performed suicidal missions by crashing their aircraft, loaded with explosives, into an enemy target, esp a ship |
| 2. | an aircraft used for such a mission |
| 3. | (modifier) (of an action) undertaken or (of a person) undertaking an action in the knowledge that it will result in the death of the person performing it in order that maximum damage may be inflicted on an enemy: a kamikaze attack; a kamikaze bomber |
| 4. | (modifier) extremely foolhardy and possibly self-defeating: kamikaze pricing |
| [C20: from Japanese, from kami divine + kaze wind, referring to the winds that, according to Japanese tradition, destroyed a Mongol invasion fleet in 1281] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
kamikaze
"suicide corps," 1945, Japanese, lit. "divine wind," from kami "god, providence, divine" + kaze "wind." Originally the name given in folklore to a typhoon which saved Japan from Mongol invasion by wrecking Kublai Khan's fleet (August 1281).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
kamikaze [(kah-muh-kah-zee)]Japanese fighter pilots in World War II, trained to make suicide crashes into Allied ships.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Sandy the bartender proffers raspberry kamikaze shots on the house.
One second, you'd be creeping up on an enemy encampment, the next you'd be pulverized by a kamikaze pilot.
Bus routes have been set up and kamikaze motorcycle-taxi riders forced to wear helmets.
For objects requiring a bigger kick, a kamikaze spacecraft or a nuclear bomb might do the job.
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