katana

noun

ka·​ta·​na ˌkə-ˈtä-nə 

plural katanas

: a slightly curved, single-edged sword historically worn by the Japanese samurai

Set in the Taisho era of Japan, the supernatural blends in seamlessly with the historical era as the primary weapon of choice for the characters is the katana, a traditional Japanese sword.

—Lani Lee

The neon-hued cyberpunk motif serves as the backdrop for [John] Wick to exude his skill with katanas …

—Harry Khachatrian

Wednesday's episode of "Forged in Fire" was a surreal experience, said Mike Deibert … because he was asked to make a katana, inspired by Hatori Hanzo and the movie "Kill Bill," a first for him.

—Craig Shoup

Examples of katana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Players can climb and vault across walls, and there are new weapons like katanas, but those may not be enough to battle everyone's favorite kaiju, Godzilla. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Fox executives insisted Reynolds abandon Deadpool’s signature red-and-black costume for eggplant hospital scrubs, his trusty katanas traded in for abnormally long retractable arm blades. —Arye Dworken, Vulture, 26 July 2024

Or a katana sword workshop at a knife-maker’s studio. —Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024

Everything from the katana on the awning above the bookstore to the prisoners blasting nu-metal rap in the park has been perfectly preserved and wrapped in a 2024 package, which is more than enough for me. —PCMAG, 13 Aug. 2024

Buck Henry’s screenplay is as sharp as a katana blade and deeply prescient regarding the 24-hour news cycle, which was just emerging. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 27 June 2024

One exception, which Mariko would likely be familiar with, was Tomoe Gozen, a much-mythologized warrior-woman (onna-musha) from the 12th-century Genpei War who fought across Japan wielding a sword (katana) in addition to a naginata. —Nicholas Liu, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, going back to Old Japanese, from kata "side" + na "blade"

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above