means A Korean martial art emphasizing fast, high, spinning kicks and powerful striking techniques, now also a competitive Olympic sport.

from From Korean, a transparent three-part name: 'tae' (태, to strike or break with the foot), 'kwon' (권, fist), and 'do' (도, way or art) — literally 'the way of the foot and fist.' The 'do' is the same character as Japanese 'do' in judo and the Chinese 'dao' of Taoism, all tracing back to the shared written word for 'path' or 'way.' The name itself is mid-20th-century, coined when several Korean fighting schools were unified under one banner, though the kicking traditions it draws on run far deeper.