assegai

or as·sa·gai

[ as-uh-gahy ]
See synonyms for assegai on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural as·se·gais.
  1. the slender javelin or spear of the Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa.

  2. a southern African tree, Curtisia dentata, of the dogwood family, from whose wood such spears are made.

verb (used with object),as·se·gaied, as·se·gai·ing.
  1. to pierce with an assegai.

Origin of assegai

1
First recorded in 1615–25; earlier azagaia, from Portuguese, from Arabic az zaghāyah, equivalent to al “the” + Berber zaghāyah “assegai”

Words Nearby assegai

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use assegai in a sentence

  • It was that wrested from Pandulu at the point of the assegai under those same dark forest shades.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • From under the suspicious-looking coat was drawn a broad assegai, and he whipped round barely in time to avoid its full stroke.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • The sound of voices coming along the river bank, and with it the unmistakable rattle of assegai-hafts.

    Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
  • If he had had an assegai or a stick perhaps the other would not have had things all his own way, he added meaningly.

    A Frontier Mystery | Bertram Mitford
  • A sound of deep-toned voices and the rattle of assegai hafts caused both to turn.

    The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley | Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for assegai

assegai

assagai

/ (ˈæsəˌɡaɪ) /


nounplural -gais
  1. a southern African cornaceous tree, Curtisia faginea, the wood of which is used for making spears

  2. a sharp light spear, esp one made of this wood

Origin of assegai

1
C17: from Portuguese azagaia, from Arabic az zaghāyah, from al the + zaghāyah assegai, from Berber

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012