Shadoof
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An ancient device used to gather water, consisting of a pivoted stick with a bucket on the end of it.
"The shadoof can be traced back 5,400 years, or to about 3500 B. C., and the indications are that it was considered an ancient device even at that remote time. It is much like the old-fashioned well sweep, consisting of a pivoted pole, supported on two uprights, at one end of which is suspended a rope or pole with a bucket at the lower end."
Example
More examples"The shadoof can be traced back 5,400 years, or to about 3500 B. C., and the indications are that it was considered an ancient device even at that remote time. It is much like the old-fashioned well sweep, consisting of a pivoted pole, supported on two uprights, at one end of which is suspended a rope or pole with a bucket at the lower end."
Etymology
From Egyptian Arabic شادوف (šadūf).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.