shadoof

American  

[shah-doof] / ʃɑˈduf /

Or shaduf

noun

1. a device used in Egypt and other Eastern countries for raising water, especially for irrigation, consisting of a long suspended rod with a bucket at one end and a weight at the other.

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shadoof British  

/ ʃəˈduːf /

noun

1. a mechanism for raising water, consisting of a pivoted pole with a bucket at one end and a counterweight at the other, esp as used in Egypt and the Near East

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Etymology

Origin of shadoof

First recorded in 1830–40, shadoof is from the Egyptian Arabic word shadūf

Example Sentences

Carved upon limestone and granite, now it seems engraven also on every Egyptian heart that beats not only with the movement of shadoof, or is not buried in the black soil fertilized by Hapi.

From The Spell of Egypt by Hichens, Robert Smythe

If he has stolen a shadoof or a plough, he shall give three shekels of silver.

From The Old Testament In the Light of The Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia by Pinches, Theophilus Goldridge

He still performs his work in the nineteenth century just as he did before the days of Moses, scattering the seed and working the shadoof.

From Due West or Round the World in Ten Months by Ballou, Maturin Murray

Here we began to see small herds of brown buffaloes, and peasants plying the irrigating buckets of the shadoof.

From Due West or Round the World in Ten Months by Ballou, Maturin Murray

One of the most common sights along the Nile is the shadoof.

From Birdseye Views of Far Lands by Nichols, James T. (James Thomas)