kamikaze
Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
ka·mi·ka·ze
(kä′mĭ-kä′zē)n.
1. A Japanese pilot trained in World War II to make a suicidal crash attack, especially upon a ship.
2. An airplane loaded with explosives to be piloted in a suicide attack.
3. Slang An extremely reckless person who seems to court death.
adj.
1. Of or relating to a suicidal air attack: a kamikaze mission.
2. Slang So reckless in behavior or actions as to be suicidal: kamikaze hot rodders.
[Japanese, divine wind (from the legendary name of a typhoon that in 1281 saved Japan by destroying the Mongol navy) : kami, divine + kaze, wind.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
kamikaze
(ˌkæmɪˈkɑːzɪ)n (often capital)
1. (Military) (in World War II) one of a group of Japanese pilots who performed suicidal missions by crashing their aircraft, loaded with explosives, into an enemy target, esp a ship
2. (Historical Terms) an aircraft used for such a mission
3. (modifier) (of an action) undertaken or (of a person) undertaking an action in the knowledge that it will result in the death of the person performing it in order that maximum damage may be inflicted on an enemy: a kamikaze attack; a kamikaze bomber.
4. (modifier) extremely foolhardy and possibly self-defeating: kamikaze pricing.
[C20: from Japanese, from kami divine + kaze wind, referring to the winds that, according to Japanese tradition, destroyed a Mongol invasion fleet in 1281]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ka•mi•ka•ze
(ˌkɑ mɪˈkɑ zi)n., pl. -zes,
adj. n.
1. (during World War II) a member of a special corps in the Japanese air force charged with suicidal missions against U.S. warships.
2. an airplane filled with explosives and flown by a kamikaze.
adj. 3. of or resembling a kamikaze; wildly reckless; suicidal.
[1944–45; < Japanese]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
kamikaze
1. A Japanese word meaning divine wind, used to mean a suicidal action, especially that of Japanese pilots in World War II who deliberately crashed their airplanes onto enemy ships.
2. Japanese planes loaded with explosives flown by pilots trained to make suicidal crash attacks on targets.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  kamikaze - a fighter plane used for suicide missions by Japanese pilots in World War IIattack aircraft, fighter aircraft, fighter - a high-speed military or naval airplane designed to destroy enemy aircraft in the air |
| 2. | kamikaze - a pilot trained and willing to cause a suicidal crash Nihon, Nippon, Japan - a constitutional monarchy occupying the Japanese Archipelago; a world leader in electronics and automobile manufacture and ship building airplane pilot, pilot - someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight suicide bomber - a terrorist who blows himself up in order to kill or injure other people |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
kamikaze
adjective self-destructive, suicidal, foolhardy tone down your kamikaze tendencies
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
camicase
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
kamikaze
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995