assegai

noun

as·​se·​gai ˈa-si-ˌgī 

variants or assagai

: a slender hardwood spear or light javelin usually tipped with iron and used in southern Africa

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Arabic al-zaghāya the assegai, from al- the + Berber zaghāya spear

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above