sumo (Japanese traditional wrestling) · short for 相撲取り (sumōtori): a sumo wrestler · short for 相撲の節 (Sumō no Sechi) or 相撲の節会 (Sumō no Sechie): in the Heian period, a special ceremonial sumo match held in July to help ensure a good harvest
köken: Derived from Old Japanese verb 争ふ (sumapu), modern 争(すま)う (sumau, “to contend, resist, compete (in sumo, for example)”). There are two leading theories regarding the derivation: * May be a nominalization of the 終(しゅう)止(し)形(けい) (shūshikei, “terminal form”) and 連(れん)体(たい)形(けい) (rentaikei, “attributive form”) sumapu: : /sumapu/ → /sumaɸu/ → */sumawu/ → /sumau/ → /sumɔː/ → /sumoː/ * May be an…