assegai

or as·sa·gai

[ as-uh-gahy ]

See synonyms for assegai on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural as·se·gais.

the slender javelin or spear of the Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa.
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.

to pierce with an assegai.

Origin of assegai

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

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

How to use assegai in a sentence

Sapazani, the ultra-conservative, had no use for assegais fabricated across the seas.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
He had made assegais for the fighting men of Dingana and Mpande and Cetywayo, and as a skilled craftsman his repute was great.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
They were naked, save for their mútyas and ornaments of flowing cowhair, and carried shields and bright, business-like assegais.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
In crescent formation the dense black cloud swept on—in dead silence—a phalanx of shields, a perfect bristle of assegais.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
Then he saw the Zulus cross the drift, holding their shields and assegais high above the water.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford

British Dictionary definitions for assegai

assegai

assagai

/ (ˈæsəˌɡaɪ) /

nounplural -gais

a southern African cornaceous tree, Curtisia faginea, the wood of which is used for making spears
a sharp light spear, esp one made of this wood

Origin of assegai

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

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