howdah

English

An elephant bearing a howdah.

Alternative forms

• houdah,howda,howder

Etymology

FromHindiहौदा(haudā),fromArabicهَوْدَج(hawdaj,“litter carried by a camel”)(1774).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈhaʊdə/
• Rhymes:-aʊdə

Noun

howdah(pluralhowdahs)

1. Aseat,usually with acanopy,carried on the back of anelephantor camel.
   • 1938,Raja Rao,Kanthapura:

     They don't ask for palanquins andhowdahs.

   • 1972,Patrick O'Brian,Post Captain:

     I shot a couple[…]Only from the safety of ahowdah,of course.

   • 1993,Will Self,My Idea of Fun:

     I felt the corporeal elephant on whose back my world was supported amble effortlessly along, rather than it being necessary for me to lean out from thehowdahof my head and goad him.

2. An ornate carriage which is positioned on the back of elephants or occasionally other animals, used most often in the past for rich people who travelled in India via elephant.

Translations

Translations

• Arabic:هَوْدَج(hawdaj);مِحَفَّة(miḥaffa)(covered, for women)
• Indonesian:haudah(id)
• Malay:hodah
• Persian:کجاوه(fa)

References

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition(1997)