kamikaze
UK[ˌkæmɪˈkɑːzi]US[ˌkɑːmɪˈkɑːzi]
n
A Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and deliberately crashed onto a target, typically a ship, during the Second World War.
n
A person who carries out a suicide attack, especially a pilot.
adj
Reckless or potentially self-destructive.
Etymology
The term 'kamikaze' is a direct borrowing from Japanese, entering English during the Pacific theater of World War II. In Japanese, it is composed of 'kami' (神, meaning 'god' or 'divinity') and 'kaze' (風, meaning 'wind'), literally translating to 'divine wind'. This originally referred to the typhoons that destroyed Mongol invasion fleets in the 13th century, seen as a divine intervention protecting Japan. During WWII, the term was repurposed for the military tactic of suicide attacks, imbuing the act with a sense of sacred, patriotic duty. The English adoption broadened the meaning to encompass any recklessly self-destructive action.
Analysis
The word is a loanword from Japanese, adopted as an unanalyzed whole into English. It is not productively segmented using English morphemes.
Examples
The battleship was severely damaged by a kamikaze attack.
He drove with a kamikaze disregard for traffic laws.
The pilot prepared for his final, kamikaze mission.