Patu

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A short, flat hand-club traditionally carried by Māori warriors of New Zealand for close combat
2. A traditional Māori weapon, a short striking club of wood, bone or stone used at close quarters
3. A short Polynesian hand-weapon from New Zealand, used by Māori fighters in hand-to-hand battle

Etymology: The Māori "patu" is a short striking club used at close quarters, traditionally made from wood, bone or stone. English borrowed the word directly from the Māori language of New Zealand, where it means "beating" or "hitting" as well as "a club" or "a weapon." The word's sense in Māori thus comes from the action of striking, and the object was named for what it did in the hand. Because the weapon itself was the core meaning, English speakers took the term over with its physical sense intact rather than reshaping it into a figurative one. The word therefore describes a specific Polynesian implement rather than a general category of club, and it carries the Māori idea that the name and the act of striking are one thing.