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howdah

or hou·dah

[hou-duh]
See more 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.
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Origin of howdah

1765–75; < Hindi haudah < Arabic hawdaj
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for howdah

seat, pillion, howdah, packsaddle

Examples from the Web for howdah

Historical Examples of howdah

  • He enters the howdah—the elephant rises—the procession starts.

    For Love of the King

    Oscar Wilde

  • One of the great pleasures or curiosities was a ride on his back in a howdah.

    A Little Girl of Long Ago

    Amanda Millie Douglas

  • Do you think the first tiger I see will get into my howdah and maul me?

    Gil the Gunner

    George Manville Fenn

  • He had no howdah, as that is not necessary, except for ladies.

  • I was not in a howdah, but on a pad; and the tiger struck one of its forepaws on my knee.

    The Lost Heir

    G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for howdah

howdah

houdah

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

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

Word Origin and History for howdah

1774, from Persian and Urdu haudah, from Arabic haudaj "litter carried by a camel" (or elephant).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper