assegai Hear it!

assegai Definition

as·se·gai (as′ə gī′)

noun

  1. a slender spear or javelin with an iron tip, used in S Africa
  2. a tree (Curtisia faginea) of the dogwood family, whose hard wood is used to make such spears

Etymology: Port azagaia < colloquial Ar az-zaghāya < az, for al, the + Berber zaghāyah, spear, prob. < Berber (cf. Tuareg (a)zegiz, long-armed dagger)

assegai Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • hurl: Albert is long dead - killed in a fit of pique by Harold hurling an assegai through the door of the kazee.
  • carry: The perils are different but it is possible to go much better prepared than carrying a rusty assegai!