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Definition of "howdah" [how•dah]

  • A seat, usually fitted with a canopy and railing, placed on the back of an elephant or a camel. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "howdah" in a sentence
  • "And so the procession started, and for a while discomfort set acutely in, for the movement of a howdah is short and jerky, and it takes some time both to adjust oneself to it and to lose the feeling that the elephant sooner or later -- and probably sooner -- must trip and fall."
  • "The howdah was a wooden structure with a gold and gilt roof, four pillars, a broad seat strewn with comfortable cushions and bolsters, thin muslin curtains enfolding the whole."
  • "The "howdah" elephants would all be sent on to the appointed rendezvous, the entire party going out to meet them on "pad" elephants."