Etymology

tanto

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Today it means: A traditional Japanese small sword or knife; often used as a secondary weapon to a katana. Full definition →

Japanese 短刀 ← Middle Chinese 短刀
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tanto · noun1

  1. Middle Chinese · derived from短刀“dagger”
  2. Japanese · borrowed from短刀
  3. English todaytanto

Borrowed from Japanese 短刀 (tantō), from Middle Chinese 短刀 (twan^X taw, “dagger”).

tanto · adverb2

  1. Italian · borrowed fromtanto
  2. Italian · borrowed fromtanto
  3. English todaytanto

Borrowed from Italian tanto.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.