assegai

as·se·gai

A a

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [as-uh-gahy]
- /ˈæs əˌgaɪ/
- /ˈæ.sə.ɡaɪ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [as-uh-gahy]
- /ˈæs əˌgaɪ/

Definitions of assegai word

noun assegai a southern African cornaceous tree, Curtisia faginea, the wood of which is used for making spears 3
noun assegai a sharp light spear, esp one made of this wood 3
noun assegai a tree (Curtisia faginea) of the dogwood family, whose hard wood is used to make such spears 3
noun assegai a slender spear or javelin with an iron tip, used in S Africa 2
noun plural assegai the slender javelin or spear of the Bantu-speaking people of southern Africa. 1
noun plural assegai a southern African tree, Curtisia dentata, of the dogwood family, from whose wood such spears are made. 1

See all 11 definitions of assegai

Information block about the term

Origin of assegai

First appearance:

before 1615

One of the 41% oldest English words

1615-25; earlier azagaia < Portuguese < Arabic az zaghāyah, equivalent to al the + Berber zaghāyah assegai

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Assegai

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Assegai

assegai popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 77% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

According to our data about 56% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

assegai usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for assegai

noun assegai

pistol — a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand.
bomb — A bomb is a device which explodes and damages or destroys a large area.
sword — a weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.
gun — Also called gin rummy. a variety of rummy for two players, in which a player with 10 or fewer points in unmatched cards can end the game by laying down the hand.
missile — an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow.

All 65 Synonyms of assegai