A short Japanese sword or dagger with a single-edged blade, traditionally used by samurai warriors.
From Japanese 短刀 (tantō), literally 'short sword,' from 短 (tan, 'short') and 刀 (tō, 'sword'). The word entered English in the 19th century as Western interest in Japanese culture grew.
Samurai warriors wore tantos as backup weapons and as symbols of their honor—losing one in battle was considered a terrible shame, which is why some samurai would destroy their tanto rather than let it be captured.
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