The kamikaze were originally typhoons, not pilots — storms that destroyed Mongol invasion fleets in the 13th century, which Japan attributed to divine intervention.
A Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and deliberately crashed by its pilot onto an enemy target during World War II; more broadly, any recklessly self-destructive action.
From Japanese 神風 (kamikaze), literally divine wind, from 神 (kami, god, spirit, divine) + 風 (kaze, wind). Originally referring to the typhoons of 1274 and 1281 that destroyed Mongol invasion fleets threatening Japan, the term was applied during WWII to suicide pilots. Key roots: 神 (kami) (Japanese: "god, spirit, divine"), 風 (kaze) (Japanese: "wind").