houdah

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Hindi [Term?], from Arabic هَوْدَج‎ (hawdaj, “litter carried by a camel”). (1774)

Noun

houdah (plural houdahs)

  1. A seat, usually with a canopy, carried on the back of an elephant or camel.
  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.
    • Bernard S. Cohn, The Invention of Tradition
      Lord and Lady Lytton rode in a silver houdah […]
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