Boomerangs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of throwing tool that returns to the thrower when thrown correctly
2. a symbol of a repetitive cycle or consequence that affects the originator
3. an object used in sporting games that can take on various designs and materials for performance

Etymology: The word here is the plural third-person form of the verb "boomerang," so it is "boomerang" that carries the history. The name of the returning throwing stick is itself uncertain in origin. It has long been linked to the Sydney language of the Sydney region in Australia, but the evidence is thin. An early form, "boo-mer-it," appears around 1790, where it is glossed as "scimeter," an old spelling of "scimitar," the curved sword. That is a striking detail: the earliest recorded sense points to a sword rather than a returning missile. The form "bumarang" and related spellings do not appear explicitly in the Sydney language record until 1903, so the connection between the 1790 gloss and the familiar object remains unresolved. The possibility that the word came from Thurawal, another Aboriginal language of the same region, is still considered.