Kamikaze
/ˌkɑː.miˈkɑː.zeɪ/noun
A suicide attacker or attack carried out with the intention of causing maximum destruction at the cost of the attacker’s life.
Did you know?The word comes from the typhoons that wrecked invading Mongol fleets in 1274 and 1281, later mythologized as a protective force sent by the gods of Japan.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese
Jpn
kamikaze
“‘divine wind,’ from kami ‘god, spirit’ + kaze ‘wind’”
1274–1281
Jpn
kamikaze
“A name for the typhoons believed to have destroyed the Mongol invasion fleets”
1930s–1945
Jpn
kamikaze
“Used in Japan for military units or attacks framed as self-sacrificial and spiritually charged”
1945
Eng
kamikaze
“Borrowed into English for Japanese suicide pilots in World War II”
Modern English
Eng
kamikaze
“Any reckless, self-destructive act or person”