assegai

assegai
/as"euh guy'/, n., pl. assegais, v., assegaied, assegaiing.
n.
1. the slender javelin or spear of the Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa.
2. a southern African tree, Curtisia dentata, of the dogwood family, from whose wood such spears are made.
v.t.
3. to pierce with an assegai.
Also, assagai.
[1615-25; earlier azagaia < Pg < Ar az zaghayah, equiv. to al the + Berber zaghayah assegai]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Assegai — Angaben Waffenart: Speer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Assegai — As se*gai, n. Same as {Assagai}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Assegai — Assegai,   Speer der Bantu, Assagai …   Universal-Lexikon

  • assegai — ► NOUN (pl. assegais) ▪ a slender iron tipped spear used by southern African peoples. ORIGIN Arabic, the spear …   English terms dictionary

  • assegai — [as′ə gī΄] n. [Port azagaia < colloquial Ar az zaghāya < az, for al, the + Berber zaghāyah, spear, prob. < Berber (cf. Tuareg (a)zegiz, long armed dagger)] 1. a slender spear or javelin with an iron tip, used in S Africa 2. a tree… …   English World dictionary

  • Assegai — An assegai or assagai (originally Berber zaġāya spear , from Old French azagaie Old Spanish azagaya < Arabic az zaġāyah ) is a pole weapon used for throwing or hurling, usually a light spear or javelin made of wood and pointed with iron.… …   Wikipedia

  • assegai — 1. noun /ˈasəɡʌɪ/ a) A slim hardwood spear or javelin with an iron tip, especially those used by Bantu peoples of Southern Africa. Native mats covered the clay walls; a collection of spears, assegais, shields, knives was hung up in trophies. b)… …   Wiktionary

  • Assegai — Assagai As sa*gai, Assegai As se*gai, n. [Pg. azagaia, Sp. azagaya, fr. a Berber word. Cf. {Lancegay}.] A spear used by tribes in South Africa as a missile and for stabbing, a kind of light javelin. [1913 Webster] || …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • assegai — or assagai noun Etymology: ultimately from Arabic al zaghāya the assegai, from al the + Berber zaghāya spear Date: 1600 a slender hardwood spear or light javelin usually tipped with iron and used in southern Africa …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • assegai — [ asəgʌɪ] (also assagai) noun (plural assegais) 1》 a slender iron tipped hardwood spear used chiefly by southern African peoples. 2》 (also assegai wood) a South African tree of the dogwood family, yielding a hard wood. [Curtisia dentata.] Origin… …   English new terms dictionary

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