machete

[ muh-shet-ee, -chet-ee ]
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noun
  1. a large heavy knife used especially in Latin American countries in cutting sugarcane and clearing underbrush and as a weapon.

  2. a tarpon, Elops affinis, of the eastern Pacific Ocean, having an elongated, compressed body.

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Origin of machete

1
First recorded in 1575–1600; <Spanish, equivalent to mach(o) “mallet” (cf. mace1) + -ete noun suffix (see -et)

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British Dictionary definitions for machete

machete

matchet

/ (məˈʃɛtɪ, -ˈtʃeɪ-) /


noun
  1. a broad heavy knife used for cutting or as a weapon, esp in parts of Central and South America

Origin of machete

1
C16 macheto, from Spanish machete, from macho club, perhaps from Vulgar Latin mattea (unattested) club

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