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Glite Dictionary
assagai

assagai

9.9
A slender spear used by people in southern Africa for hunting and fighting
  • noun
  • /ˈæsəˌɡaɪ/
  • UK
translation icon : asagái
  • The museum displayed a collection of assagais alongside other traditional African weapons.

Examples

  • The warrior skillfully threw his assagai at the approaching enemy.

  • The hunter carried an assagai for protection.

  • Early explorers described the distinctive shape of the assagai in their journals.

  • Did you see the assagai in the museum?

  • The museum displayed a collection of assagais alongside other traditional African weapons.

  • The warrior skillfully threw his assagai at the approaching enemy.

  • Did you see the assagai in the museum?

Synonyms

spear
vsassagai
194 1.2

A long pole with a sharp point used for hunting or fishing

is a specific slender type from southern Africa rather than any long pointed weapon
assegai
vsassagai
  • UK
1 9.9

A slender spear used by people of southern Africa for hunting or fighting

is the same slender traditional form but without stressing hunting or warfare

Surface Forms

assagai singular
assagais plural

Etymology

The word assagai comes from Portuguese assegai, the name for a long, thin African spear probably borrowed from local African languages or Arabic. So an assagai is a kind of 'spear', which you can remember as a narrow weapon often thrown or used to stab.