ju·jit·su also ju·jut·su or jiu·jit·su or jiu·jut·su (jo?o-j?t?so?o)n. An art of weaponless self-defense developed in Japan that uses throws, holds, and blows and derives added power from the attacker’s own weight and strength.[Japanese j?jutsu : j?, soft; see judo + jutsu, technique (from Early Middle Chinese ?wit).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.