Tomahawk
/ˈtɑː.mə.hɔːk/noun
A light axe or hatchet, especially one used as a weapon or tool by Indigenous peoples of North America.
Did you know?Tomahawk entered English in the 1600s as a loanword from an Algonquian language, and its exact original form is still debated because early colonists recorded it phonetically, not accurately.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Algonquian
PA
*temah-
“to cut or strike, likely the underlying action behind the weapon name”
Powhatan / related Algonquian language
Alg
tamahaac
“a cutting tool or axe”
17th Century
English
tomahawk
“an Indigenous North American axe or hatchet”
Modern English
English
tomahawk
“a light axe, hatchet, or thrown weapon”