Wristlocks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A technique employed in martial arts and self-defense involving immobilizing an opponent's wrist through a twisting motion
2. A grappling maneuver that leverages leverage and pressure on the wrist to control or submit an adversary
3. A method of restraint focusing on joint manipulation, particularly affecting the wrist, to gain dominance in a physical confrontation

Etymology: "Wristlocks" is the plural of "wristlock," a noun for a restraining hold that bends or twists the wrist joint to control an opponent. The word is a plain compound of "wrist" and "lock," and "lock" in this sense comes from the wrestling and grappling vocabulary in which a joint is held in a fixed position so that it cannot move without causing pain or injury. The same pattern gives us "armlock" and "headlock." The first element, "wrist," has a long history in English, descending from Old English "wrist," which referred to the joint between hand and forearm. "Lock" comes from Old English "loc," originally a fastening or bolt, and by the Middle Ages it had come to describe the act of securing something tightly. Combining the two produces a term that is literal and descriptive: a lock applied at the wrist.