aikido · noun — A Japanese martial art developed from jujitsu and making use of holds and throws.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
aikido is pronounced /aɪˈkiːdəʊ/.
Why “aikido” is a great word
A Japanese martial art that employs holds and throws to subdue an opponent, emphasizing the unification of spirit and harmonious movement. Borrowed from Japanese 合気道 (aikidō), from 合 (ai, "to unite, harmonize") + 気 (ki, "spirit, energy") + 道 (dō, "way, path"), first attested in English in 1936. Unlike jujitsu, which subdues through calculated leverage and resistance, or karate, which breaks opposition with sharp, linear strikes, aikido is predicated on non-resistance: the blending, receiving, and circular redirection of incoming force. It is the quiet spiral of a wrist that unbalances a grab, the precise arc of a body turning a lunge into a tumble, and the patient pressure on a joint that ends a confrontation without breaking it—a philosophy where yielding becomes the most potent form of control, transforming the energy of conflict into something still.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 合(あい)気(き)道(どう) (aikidō, “aikido”, literally “way of adapting the spirit”), from 合(あい) (ai, “together, unify”) + 気(き) (ki, “spirit; breath”) + 道(どう) (dō, “way”). Doublet of hapkido.
noun
- A Japanese martial art developed from jujitsu and making use of holds and throws.
- A school of the martial art.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- aikidoka 69% match — One who practices aikido, the martial art. vs aikido →
- jujitsu 67% match — A Japanese martial art and method of self-defence, typically unarmed, emphasizing manipulating an opponent’s force against themselves rather than directly opposing it with force, and using a wide variety of holds, throws, and defensive techniques. vs aikido →
- jodo 61% match — A Japanese martial art using a short staff, originally as a defence against swords. vs aikido →
- budo 60% match — Japanese martial arts. vs aikido →
- jujutsuka 58% match — A practitioner of any type of jujutsu/jujitsu martial arts, except judo. vs aikido →
- iaido 58% match — A Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard. vs aikido →
- bojutsu 57% match — A martial art that focuses on the use of the bō (longstaff). vs aikido →
- kyudo 56% match — A Japanese form of archery. vs aikido →