Sometimes, nunchakus.an Oriental hand weapon for defense against frontal assault, consisting of two foot-long hardwood sticks joined by a chain or thick cord that stretches to body width.
Origin: 1965–70; < Okinawan Japn version of a dial. Chin (Taiwan) word for a farm implement, prob. neng-cak, equiv. to Chin lyǎng pair(ed) + záo dig (a hole), i.e., two diggers; with 2nd element interpreted as zat, equiv. to Chin jié section
nun·cha·ku (nən-chä'kōō) n. A pair of hardwood sticks joined by a chain or cord and used as a weapon. Often used in the plural.
[Okinawan Japanese, probably from Chinese (Taiwanese) neng-cak, type of farm implement, equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) ling, two, paired + Chinese (Mandarin) záo, to dig, digger.]