loofah

[ loo-fuh ]

/ ˈlu fə /

Also called dishcloth gourd, rag gourd.

any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, of the gourd family, bearing large, elongated fruit.
the fruit of such a vine.

Also called vegetable sponge. the dried, fibrous interior of this fruit, used as a sponge.

Also loo·fa, luffa.

Origin of loofah

1860–65; < New Latin Luffa the genus < Arabic lūf

“Intercourse felt, often, like shoving a loofah into a mason jar,” she writes, for example.

Speed Read: Lena Dunham’s Most Shocking Confessions From ‘Not That Kind of Girl’ |Kevin Fallon |September 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She had found a loofah, two sponges and some cakes of soap elaborately arranged in a pattern on the bathroom floor.

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, September 16, 1914 |Various
So Leslie picked up her chum's rough towels, her loofah and her verbena-scented soap.

The Boy with Wings |Berta Ruck
They simply haven't grasped how much soap and water and loofah go to that, in big towns.

The Boy with Wings |Berta Ruck

loofah

/ (ˈluːfə) /

the fibrous interior of the fruit of the dishcloth gourd, which is dried, bleached, and used as a bath sponge or for scrubbing

another name for dishcloth gourd

Also called (esp US): loofa, luffa

C19: from New Latin luffa, from Arabic lūf