Meanings
plural martial arts
- Military skills, proficiency in military strategy, prowess in warfare.
[…] of all the modes by which the advantage of his country may be secured, the martial arts and valour are those by which a Swiss the most hopes to promote it.
1832, Richard Chenevix, An Essay Upon National Character: 4. On patriotism, p. 481Synonyms: combat sport
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMilitary skills, proficiency in military strategy, prowess in warfare.
Origin
- Chinese武術 /武术
- Japanese武術
- Englishmartial art
Calque of Japanese 武術 (bujutsu), which is itself borrowed from Chinese 武術 /武术 (wǔshù). However, the term had been already mentioned in Pope's Iliad (1715, 4.360), and in Sotheby's Iliad (1831, book 6).
More words from Japanese, Chinese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic فَنٌّ قِتَالِيّ, الفُنُون القِتَالِيَّة
- فَنٌّ قِتَالِيّ (fannun qitāliyy)fighting style
- الفُنُون القِتَالِيَّة (al-funūn al-qitāliyya)fighting style
Bulgarian бо́йно изку́ство
- бо́йно изку́ство (bójno izkústvo)fighting style
Catalan art marcial
- art marcialfighting style
Chinese Cantonese 武術 /武术
- 武術 /武术 (mou⁵ seot⁶)fighting style
Chinese Mandarin 武術 /武术, 武藝 /武艺
- 武術 /武术 (wǔshù)fighting style
- 武藝 /武艺 (wǔyì)fighting style
- 兵法 (bīngfǎ)military prowess
Czech bojové umění
- bojové uměnífighting style
Danish kampsport
- kampsportfighting style
Dutch vechtsport, vechtkunst
- vechtsportfighting style
- vechtkunstfighting style
- gevechtssportfighting style
- gevechtskunstfighting style
- krijgskunstfighting style
Esperanto luktarto, luktosporto
- luktartofighting style
- luktosportofighting style
Estonian võitluskunst
- võitluskunstfighting style
Finnish kamppailulaji, sotataito
- kamppailulajifighting style
- sotataitomilitary prowess
French art martial
- art martialfighting style
German Kampfkunst, Kampfsport
- Kampfkunstfighting style
- Kampfsportfighting style
- Kriegskunstmilitary prowess
Greek πολεμικές τέχνες
- πολεμικές τέχνες (polemikés téchnes)fighting style
Hebrew אמנות לחימה
- אמנות לחימהfighting style
Hindi युद्ध कलाएँ
- युद्ध कलाएँ (yuddh kalāẽ)fighting style
Hungarian harcművészet
- harcművészetfighting style
Icelandic bardagaíþrótt
- bardagaíþróttfighting style
Indonesian seni bela diri
- seni bela dirifighting style
Irish ealaín oscartha
- ealaín oscarthafighting style
Italian arti marziali
- arti marzialifighting style
Japanese 武術, 武道
- 武術 (bujutsu)fighting style
- 武道 (budō)fighting style
- 武芸 (bugei)fighting style
Korean 무예, 무술
- 무예 (muye)fighting style
- 무술 (musul)fighting style
Latvian cīņas māksla
- cīņas mākslafighting style
Lithuanian kovos menas
- kovos menasfighting style
Malay seni mempertahankan diri
- seni mempertahankan dirifighting style
Norwegian kampsport, kampaktivitet
- kampsportfighting style
- kampaktivitetfighting style
- kampkunstfighting style
Persian هنر رزمی
- هنر رزمی (honar-e razmi)fighting style
Polish sztuka walki, sztuka wojenna
- sztuka walkifighting style
- sztuka wojennamilitary prowess
Portuguese arte marcial
- arte marcialfighting style
Romanian artă marțială
- artă marțialăfighting style
Russian боево́е иску́сство, единобо́рства
- боево́е иску́сство (bojevóje iskússtvo)fighting style
- единобо́рства (jedinobórstva)fighting style
- вое́нное иску́сство (vojénnoje iskússtvo)military prowess
Slovak bojové umenie
- bojové umeniefighting style
Spanish arte marcial
- arte marcialfighting style
Swedish kampsport, stridskonst
- kampsportfighting style
- stridskonstmilitary prowess
Thai ศิลปะการต่อสู้
- ศิลปะการต่อสู้ (sĭnlábpà gaan dtòr sôo)fighting style
Turkish dövüş sanatı, harp
- dövüş sanatıfighting style
- harpmilitary prowess
- savaşmilitary prowess
Ukrainian бойове́ мисте́цтво
- бойове́ мисте́цтво (bojové mystéctvo)fighting style
Vietnamese môn võ, môn võ thuật
- môn võfighting style
- môn võ thuậtfighting style
- võ thuậtfighting style
- vũ thuậtfighting style
- tài năng chiến đấumilitary prowess
Cite this entry
martial art. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martial%20art
“martial art.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martial%20art. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “martial art,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martial%20art.
Source: martial art on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.