waggadash

W4A1G2G2A1D2A1S1H4

noun

A wakizashi.

Scrabble 18

Meanings

nounwaggadash (plural waggadashes)

plural waggadashes · alternative wagadash

  1. archaicA wakizashi.

    […] and enumerated various personal belongings, amongst others his Japanese weapons—his “cattans” and his “waggadash.”

    1902, Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society, London
    3 more examples

    Their disposition, according to the quality of their arms, is thus: first of all march their shot, that is, calievers, for muskets they have none, neither will they use any; then follow pikes, then cattans and targets, bows and arrows, waggadashes or hooks, and lastly, calievers again close the march ; and among all these they, have no colours, drums, trumpets, nor any sort of warlike music.

    1758, Tobias George Smollett, The Critical Review, Or, Annals of Literature - Volume 6, page 108

    Towards evening, the king of Jedo sent me two suits of varnished armour, as a present to our king ; and sent likewise for myself a tatch and a waggadash, the former being a long sword which is only worn in Japan by soldiers of the highest rank, and the latter being a singular weapon resembling a Welsh hook.

    1813, Robert Kerr, A General History of Voyages and Travels

    He returned bearing gifts from the shogun for King James. These included two suits of armour, a katana and a waggadash (wakizashi) for himself.

    2004, Gregory Irvine, A guide to Japanese art collections in the UK, page 13

Origin

  1. Japanese脇差
  2. Englishwaggadash

From Japanese 脇差 (wakizashi).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

waggadash. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waggadash

MLA

“waggadash.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waggadash. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “waggadash,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waggadash.

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