Etymograph

English

martial art

Martial art comes from Chinese 武術.

  1. Chinesemodern武術wǔshù
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1832martial art

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Chinesemodern武術wǔshù
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1832martial art

Earliest quotation: 1832, Richard Chenevix, An Essay Upon National Character: 4. On patriotism: “[…] of all the modes by which the advantage…”

Made of the words martial + art

Middle French martial

Middle English martial

English martial

Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit’

…

Latin ars

Latin artem

Old French art

Middle English art

English art

The story

However, the term had been already mentioned in Pope's Iliad (1715, 4.360), and in Sotheby's Iliad (1831, book 6).

Every English word from Chinese 武術

Today it means

noun Any of several fighting styles which contain systematized methods of training for combat, both armed and unarmed; often practiced as a sport, e.g. boxing, karate, judo, silat, wrestling, or Muay Thai.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Chinese 武術 / martial art

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