loofah

[ loo-fuh ]

noun

Also called dish·cloth gourd [dish-klawth gawrd], /ˈdɪʃ klɔθ ˌgɔrd/, rag gourd [rag-gawrd]. /ˈræg ˌgɔrd/.
- any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, of the gourd family, bearing large, elongated fruit.
- the fruit of such a vine.
Also called veg·e·ta·ble sponge [vej-tuh-buhl spuhnj]. /ˈvɛdʒ tə bəl ˌspʌndʒ/. the dried, fibrous interior of this fruit, used as a sponge.

Origin of loofah

First recorded in 1860–65; from New Latin Luffa the genus, from Arabic lūf

Also loo·fa, luf·fa .

Words Nearby loofah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use loofah in a sentence

This is when you have to stand in the shower for a solid 30 minutes, as your nerves slowly come back to life from their cryogenic state, before even picking up the loofah and soap.
My 10 Best Post-Adventure Showers | aheard | July 26, 2021 | Outside Online
It’s sort of like the brain is a loofah full of sudsy soap sitting in the middle of a tub and the waves are hands reaching out to squish it clean.
You get brainwashed whenever you go to sleep (and that’s a good thing) | PopSci Staff | March 17, 2021 | Popular-Science
Once I step out of the shower, these towels act like a loofah, I can actually feel the moisture wicking off of my body every time I use them.
Find a More Absorbent Towel. I Dare You | Daniel Modlin | February 14, 2021 | The Daily Beast
“Intercourse felt, often, like shoving a loofah into a mason jar,” she writes, for example.
Speed Read: Lena Dunham’s Most Shocking Confessions From ‘Not That Kind of Girl’ | Kevin Fallon | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She had found a loofah, two sponges and some cakes of soap elaborately arranged in a pattern on the bathroom floor.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, September 16, 1914 | Various

So Leslie picked up her chum's rough towels, her loofah and her verbena-scented soap.
The Boy with Wings | Berta Ruck
It is devoid of any lining, and its texture puts one in mind of a loosely made loofah.
Birds of the Plains | Douglas Dewar
It weaves a nest which looks like a ragged loofah with a hole in the side.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas Dewar
Eleanor is the roughest and toughest loofah that was ever known.
Poor Relations | Compton Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for loofah

loofah

/ (ˈluːfə) /

noun

the fibrous interior of the fruit of the dishcloth gourd, which is dried, bleached, and used as a bath sponge or for scrubbing
another name for dishcloth gourd

Origin of loofah

C19: from New Latin luffa, from Arabic lūf

Also called (esp US): loofa, luffa

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

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