howdah

American  

[hou-duh] / ˈhaʊ də /

Or houdah

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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howdah British  

/ ˈhaʊdə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of howdah

1765–75; < Hindi haudah < Arabic hawdaj

Example Sentences

Some continue up the side stairs to Lucy’s ornate howdah, which is perched atop the 65-foot-tall elephant and offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic City skyline.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2020

Soon he was auctioning off land from the howdah perched atop Lucy, and the “world’s largest elephant” would go on to be visited by the likes of President Woodrow Wilson.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2015

On the day of the wedding itself, Prince Birendra mounted a silver howdah atop an elephant at the Royal Palace, then led a two-mile procession through the capital.

From Time Magazine Archive

He is frequently seen dressed in fantastic gaud, seated in a brilliant howdah atop a huge elephant, with his sceptre in one hand, and a Rolleiflex camera in the other.

From Time Magazine Archive

And when Marsyas and Lydia had kissed the hands of the royal pair, they went out and found, at the palace wall, a camel which should bear them in a white howdah to Ptolemais.

From Saul of Tarsus A Tale of the Early Christians by Miller, Elizabeth