Machete
/məˈʃɛti/noun
A large broad-bladed knife or short sword used especially for cutting vegetation.
Did you know?Machete comes from Spanish, where it was a diminutive of macha, a word for a large cutting tool; its history is practical, not mystical, but it became a symbol of survival and power across the Americas.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
mattea
“A club or mallet.”
Old Spanish
Spanish
macha
“A large cutting tool or blade-like implement.”
16th Century
Spanish
machete
“A small knife or short cutting blade.”
18th-19th Century
English
machete
“A large heavy knife used for clearing brush and cutting cane.”
Modern English
English
machete
“A large broad-bladed knife used especially for cutting vegetation.”