Pangas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of machete with a broad blade typically used for cutting through thick foliage or for agricultural tasks
2. An essential tool in various tropical regions, especially for agricultural workers or for harvesting
3. Often utilized in outdoor activities like camping or gardening, known for its versatility and efficiency in chopping tasks

Etymology: "Pangas" is simply the plural of "panga," a large machete used across East Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The English word is borrowed from Swahili "panga," which means "machete," and the Swahili term traces back to a Proto-Bantu root, the common ancestor of the Bantu languages spoken across much of sub-Saharan Africa. The plural form has a stranger history. English speakers sometimes treat "pangas" as the basis of the singular, working backward from the plural and creating "panga" as a new singular. The stem of "pangas" also appears in the scientific genus name "Pangasius," a group of freshwater catfish, which in turn comes from a Bengali word meaning "mud- or brown-coloured fish." The two unrelated words share a sound by coincidence rather than descent.

Synonyms: machetes, cutlasses, knives, machete knives, blades