howdah

or hou·dah

[ hou-duh ]
See synonyms for howdah on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (in the East Indies) a seat or platform for one or more persons, commonly with a railing and a canopy, placed on the back of an elephant.

Origin of howdah

1
1765–75; <Hindi haudah<Arabic hawdaj

Words Nearby howdah

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

How to use howdah in a sentence

  • That is why Indian children prefer riding bareback on an elephant to taking a howdah.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • He had the rifle in his hand but the tiger was reaching over the howdah and stretching out his paw to get him.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • The nearer the tiger's paw came, the more the magistrate tried to lean against the side of the howdah.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • I was very soon seated with Dr. Rolland in the howdah, and trotted to the neighbouring town.

  • They gave me a large knife to defend myself with, in case the animal should spring too high and reach the side of the howdah.

British Dictionary definitions for howdah

howdah

houdah

/ (ˈhaʊdə) /


noun
  1. a seat for riding on an elephant's back, esp one with a canopy

Origin of howdah

1
C18: from Hindi haudah, from Arabic haudaj load carried by elephant or camel

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