shadoof

or sha·duf

[shah-doof]

noun

a device used in Egypt and other Eastern countries for raising water, especially for irrigation, consisting of a long suspended rod with a bucket at one end and a weight at the other.

Nearby words

Origin of shadoof

First recorded in 1830–40, shadoof is from the Egyptian Arabic word shadūf

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

Examples from the Web for shadoof

One of the most common sights along the Nile is the shadoof.
Birdseye Views of Far Lands|James T. Nichols
The men working at the 21 shadoof on the river brink have only a strip of cloth around their loins.
From Egypt to Japan|Henry M. Field
Drawing water with the aid of the shadoof is said to be very hard work, especially in so hot a country as Egypt.
Chatterbox, 1906|Various
The shadoof is used on small farms, and the sakieh is more often used for larger farms and plantations.
History Of Egypt From 330 B.C. To The Present Time, Volume 12 (of 12)|S. Rappoport

Here we began to see small herds of brown buffaloes, and peasants plying the irrigating buckets of the shadoof.
Due West|Maturin Murray Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for shadoof

shadoof

shaduf

noun

a mechanism for raising water, consisting of a pivoted pole with a bucket at one end and a counterweight at the other, esp as used in Egypt and the Near East

Word Origin for shadoof

C19: from Egyptian Arabic

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