dahabeah

or da·ha·bee·yah, da·ha·bi·ah

[ dah-huh-bee-uh ]

noun
  1. a large boat used on the Nile as a houseboat or for conveying passengers.

Origin of dahabeah

1
First recorded in 1840–50, dahabeah is from the Egyptian Arabic word dahabīyah

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

How to use dahabeah in a sentence

  • On the dahabeeyah, which began to look as if it were a long way off and were receding from her, shone a red and a blue light.

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
  • She found herself in a large saloon, which took in the whole width of the stern of the dahabeeyah.

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
  • The change from dahabeeyah life to life on shore seemed at once to make a difference to the patient.

    Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
  • In the largest and most commodious “dahabeeyah” were installed the three ladies, with four European servants and a Syrian cook.

    Some Heroes of Travel | W. H. Davenport Adams
  • As no dahabeeyah could be seen, men were sent in search of it; but in vain.

    Some Heroes of Travel | W. H. Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for dahabeah

dahabeah

dahabeeyah or dahabiah

/ (ˌdɑːhəˈbiːə) /


noun
  1. a houseboat used on the Nile

Origin of dahabeah

1
from Arabic dhahabīyah, literally: the golden one (that is, gilded barge)

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