dhow

or dau, dow

[ dou ]

noun
  1. any of various types of sailing vessels used by Arabs on the east African, Arabian, and Indian coasts, generally lateen-rigged on two or three masts.

Origin of dhow

1
First recorded in 1795–1805, dhow is from the Arabic word dāwa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dhow in a sentence

  • Frequently the slaving-dhows captured are in a far more horrible state than in the instance above given.

  • No doubt those innocent looking dhows had been filled with armed Arabs, waiting for the signal, and now every escape was cut off.

    The River of Darkness | William Murray Graydon
  • Then E14 had a brawl with a steamer with a yellow funnel, blue top and black band, lying at a pier among dhows.

    Sea Warfare | Rudyard Kipling
  • As the light increased, it could be seen that in addition to the two ships were a large number of native dhows.

    With Clive in India | G. A. Henty
  • Watching the dhows and sighting the cathedral, suggested, I suppose, Pre Etienne.

British Dictionary definitions for dhow

dhow

/ (daʊ) /


noun
  1. a lateen-rigged coastal Arab sailing vessel with one or two masts

Origin of dhow

1
C19: from Arabic dāwa

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012