Image:Askari%2C_South_Africa_1943.jpg|thumb|right|A guard with assegai in South Africa, 1943.
English
Alternative spellings
assagai
assagaie, assagay, assegay, azagaia, hassagay, hassaguay, zagaie, zagaye (obsolete)
wikipedia

Pronunciation
IPA: /'æs�gaɪ/

Etymology
From French azagaie (now zagaie) or Portuguese azagaia, Spanish azagaya, from colloquial Arabic ز�ا�ة + ا�, from Berber zaġ�ya �spear�.

Noun
en-noun

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

#:*1922: A birdchief, bluestreaked and feathered in war panoply with his assegai, striding through a crackling canebrake over beechmast and acorns. (Joyce, Ulysses)
wikipedia|Curtisia

1. The tree species Curtisia dentata, because its wood is traditionally used to made assegais.

Scientific names
Curtisia dentata

Translations
Arabic: ز�ا�ة + ا� (az-zagh�ya)
Dutch: assagaai or assegaai f or m
Portuguese: azagaia f
Spanish: azagaya f

Verb
en-verb

1. To spear with an assegai.

References
R:Websters

Category:Arabic derivations
Category:Berber derivations
Category:Spears

pl:assegai
vi:assegai

• 2007-10-30 07:44 - Fastifex -

Full Revision History