woomera

[ woo m-er-uh ]

/ ˈwʊm ər ə /

noun

a notched stick used by Australian Aborigines to propel spears or darts.

Nearby words

woolskin, woolsorters' disease, woolwich, woolworth, wooly, woomera, woomerang, woonsocket, woop woop, woops, woorali

Also womera.

Origin of woomera

First recorded in 1810–20, woomera is from the Dharuk word wu-ma-ra

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

Examples from the Web for woomera

Forty five minutes later the reports clattered in from Cairo and Woomera.
If at First You Don't...|John Brudy
As the hand moves forward the spear is released by uplifting the forefinger, and the woomera remains in the hand.
Spinifex and Sand|David W Carnegie
In the handle end of the woomera a sharp flint is often set, forming a sort of chisel.
Spinifex and Sand|David W Carnegie

British Dictionary definitions for woomera (1 of 2)

woomera

womera

/ (ˈwʊmərə) /

noun

Australian a type of notched stick used by native Australians to increase leverage and propulsion in the throwing of a spear

Word Origin for woomera

from a native Australian language

British Dictionary definitions for woomera (2 of 2)

Woomera

/ (ˈwʊmərə) /

noun

a town in South Australia: site of the Long Range Weapons Establishment. Pop: 602 (2001)

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