Shuriken

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈʃuː.ɹɪ.kən/

Definitions

1. A concealed, star-shaped projectile from Japan, used for covert attacks or diversion in combat situations
2. A sharp, flat metal weapon with a star-like shape, thrown by hand to distract or injure an opponent
3. A small, pointed tool from Japan designed for throwing to cause damage or create a diversion in fights

Etymology: The Japanese word "shuriken" is built from three characters that together describe where a blade was hidden: "shu" (手, hand), "ri" (裏, inside) and "ken" (剣, sword). Read literally, the compound means something like "sword concealed in the hand," a name that fits the weapon's purpose. Its earliest parts come from Middle Chinese, and the Japanese term was assembled from those characters rather than inherited as a single native word. The sense of the word has also been narrowed over time. Early Japanese usage applied the term to a range of concealed hand weapons, and it was only later that it settled on the small, star-shaped throwing blades now familiar in popular culture. The character compound preserves the older, broader idea of a blade held out of sight until the moment it is used.

Synonyms: throwing star, ninja star