assegai
or as·sa·gai
[ as-uh-gahy ]
/ ˈæs əˌgaɪ /
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
1615–25; earlier
azagaia < Portuguese < Arabic
az zaghāyah, equivalent to
al the + Berber
zaghāyah assegai
Words nearby assegai
assay groove,
assay office,
assay ton,
assbackwards,
asse,
assegai,
assemblage,
assemblagist,
assemble,
assembled,
assembler
Example sentences from the Web for assegai
British Dictionary definitions for assegai
assegai
assagai
/ (ˈæsəˌɡaɪ) /
noun plural -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
Word Origin for assegai
C17: from Portuguese
azagaia, from Arabic
az zaghāyah, from
al the +
zaghāyah assegai, from Berber