loofah

[ loo-fuh ]

/ ˈlu fə /

noun

Also called dishcloth gourd, rag gourd.

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 vegetable sponge. the dried, fibrous interior of this fruit, used as a sponge.

Nearby words

lonsdale belt, loo, loo mask, looby, loof, loofah, looie, look, look a gift horse in the mouth, look after, look alive

Also loo·fa, luffa.

Origin of loofah

1860–65; < New Latin Luffa the genus < Arabic lūf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for loofah

“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|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
They simply haven't grasped how much soap and water and loofah go to that, in big towns.
The Boy with Wings|Berta Ruck

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

Also called (esp US): loofa, luffa

Word Origin for loofah

C19: from New Latin luffa, from Arabic lūf

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