Assegai Definition

asəgī
noun
A light spear or lance used by Bantu peoples of southern Africa.
American Heritage
A slender spear or javelin with an iron tip, used in S Africa.
Webster's New World
A tall evergreen tree (Curtisia dentata) of southern Africa, having durable wood used for making weapons, furniture, and other wooden products, and bark that is used in traditional medicine.
American Heritage
A tree (Curtisia faginea) of the dogwood family, whose hard wood is used to make such spears.
Webster's New World

A slim hardwood spear or javelin with an iron tip, especially those used by Bantu peoples of Southern Africa.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
verb

To spear with an assegai.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Assegai

Noun

Singular:
assegai
Plural:
assegais

Origin of Assegai

  • From French azagaie (now zagaie) or Portuguese azagaia, Spanish azagaya, from colloquial Arabic الزغاية (az-zaġāya), from Proto-Berber *zaġāya (“spear”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Obsolete French azagaie probably from Old Spanish azagayah from Arabic az-zaġāya al- the Berber zaġāya spear

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Assegai Sentence Examples

  • Albert is long dead - killed in a fit of pique by Harold hurling an assegai through the door of the kazee.

  • The perils are different but it is possible to go much better prepared than carrying a rusty assegai!

  • The breaking short of the shaft of the assegai when the weapon was used at close quarters was already a common practice among the Ama-Zulu, but Chaka had the shaft of the assegais made short, and their blades longer and heavier, so that they could be used for cutting or piercing.

  • The forests contain a great variety of useful woods, affording excellent timber; among the commonest trees are the yellow wood, which is also one of the largest, belonging to the yew species; black iron wood; heavy, close-grained and durable stinkhout; melkhout, a white wood used for wheelwork; nieshout; and the assegai or Cape lancewood.

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Words Starting With

AASASS

Words Ending With

IAIGAI

Unscrambles

assegai

Words Starting With A and Ending With I

Starts With A & Ends With IStarts With AS & Ends With IStarts With A & Ends With AI

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With A7 Letter Words Ending With I