eskrima

es·kri·ma
E1S1K5R1I1M3A1

noun

The traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize the use of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons.

Similar
arniskali
OriginTagalog escrima ← Spanish esgrima →
Scrabble 13
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouneskrima (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize the use of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons.

    Of all the disciplines covered here, the arts of kali, arnis and eskrima, from the Philippines, are perhaps the most vigorous, employing an almost balletic violence to prepare for rough nights on the town.

    2009 April 16, Mandy Katz, “Choose Your Weapon: Exotic Martial Arts”, in New York Times

    Synonyms: arnis, kali

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize the use of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons.

Similar
arniskali
Also see
arniskali

Origin

  1. Spanishesgrima
  2. Tagalogescrima
  3. Englisheskrima

From Tagalog escrima or eskrima, borrowed from Spanish esgrima, noun form of the verb esgrimir (“to handle a melee weapon whether for offensive or defensive purposes”).

More words from Tagalog, Spanish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

eskrima. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eskrima

MLA

“eskrima.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eskrima. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eskrima,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eskrima.

Source: eskrima on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.