howdah

Definition

A seat, usually with a canopy, carried on the back of an elephant or camel.

Etymology

From Hindi हौदा (haudā), from Arabic هَوْدَج (hawdaj, “litter carried by a camel”) (1774).

Example Sentences

• "They don't ask for palanquins and howdahs."
• "I shot a couple […] Only from the safety of a howdah, of course."
• "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 the howdah of my head and goad him."